


Ruptured Worlds

by PallasCat



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Shadowrun
Genre: AU, Canon Typical Violence, Cyberpunk, Dimension Travel, Dragons, Everyone Needs Therapy, Forced Cooperation, Golden Deer Route, Gronder Field, Human Experimentation, Human Trafficking, I'm gay so expect gay, Medical Themes, Mental Health Issues, No Beta we die like Lambert, Original Characters - Freeform, Polyamory, Post-Time Skip, Slow Burn, Therapy, Trans Characters, Twin Byleth, cyberpunk fantasy, depiction of surgery, graphic depiction of wounds, healing and growth, lycanthropy, shipping will come later, soz I'm a medical professional so it might happen sometimes, starts as angst but SURPRISE ! It's fluff, tags will change as story continues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:48:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 46,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24521122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PallasCat/pseuds/PallasCat
Summary: They expected Gronder Field to go many ways. But they never expected it to be like this. Thrown into a whole other world the three waring factions now have to cooperate with the help of strange mercenaries called 'Runners' to find a way back into the world of Fodlan but things rarely go smoothly and they will encounter many hardships along the way.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Original Male Character(s), Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Original Male Character(s), Caspar von Bergliez/Linhardt von Hevring, Dedue Molinaro/Claude von Riegan, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan/DedueMolinaro, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Dedue Molinaro, Dorothea Arnault/Original Female Character(s), Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary, Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary/Original Female Character(s), Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Original Male Character(s), Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Hubert von Vestra/Edelgard von Hresvelg (one sided), Leonie Pinelli/Bernadetta von Varley, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Leonie Pinelli (one sided), Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril, Petra Maneary/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story is going to be world-building heavy given that the characters are thrown into an entirely different dimension, I'll do my best to clear up any questions you might have in the notes. Please do give me feedback regarding parts that need clearing up. The first chapters are going to be full of approximations as the characters discover the world and try to describe things they don't know the name of. I'm very sorry for the confusion that is bound to happen by this narrative choice.

Gronder Field roared.

Allies, Foes, Bystanders, it didn’t matter anymore. Red was everywhere.

On the Imperialist soldiers’ clothing, on the stained uniforms, on the dulled edge of their worn weapons, in the glow of their relics, in the spark of the magic flying through the air, in the mix of blood and mud under their boots.

The Sword of the Creator slashed through a nameless mass of goons, another splurge of warm gore splashing over her face. Her twin brother’s magic snapped above her shoulder, lightening flashing and cracking into a rushing battalion, sending shrapnel flying around.

“Beres ! Watch it !” barked the mercenary, jumping to press her back to her brother’s, Sword of the Creator glowing menacingly in her hand.

“I’m trying ! But my battalion is gone and I don’t see Claude !”

Byleth cursed under her breath, she too had lost sight of Dimitri and the prospect of him going berserk and running himself over a lance trying to reach Edelgard did not please her.

The duo carved themselves a path through the mass of unidentifiable soldiers, the only visible landmark among the mass of humans slaughtering each others blindly was the pyre of the Central Hill. Byleth grabbed the cloak of her twin and dragged him toward the fires. “Put it out ! We’ll use the vantage point to find them !”

Beres swore and pushed his sister away, summoning his magic to blow out the flames with a powerful gale. Byleth kept the enemies swarming their position away until the two of them could stumble over the scorched planks and look at the chaos surrounding them.

Finding Dimitri was not difficult, the Tempest King swirling his lance in a mad storm of crimson light, effectively keeping anyone crazy enough to approach him at bay while the rest of his Blue Lions took down any ranged fighter. Claude proved a little more tricky. The Leader of the Alliance was struggling to fend off assailants from the ground with Failnaught and his axe, his pale wyvern hissing furiously on the ground and lashing at their opponents. The rest of the Golden Deers fighting to keep him safe.

And then there was Edelgard, stepping down from her high ground and slowly making her way to the twins. Her relic slowly coming to life as she walked closer, the gold horns of her hairdo gleaming over her ivory locks. She would end it all here. Finish this madness and achieve her goals with or without them, her Black Eagles loyally following her steps.

Byleth rose the Sword of the Creator to the sky, tears welling in her eyes as she met the amethyst hue of her student’s eyes. And as she summoned the power of her relic, heaven ruptured… and hell broke loose.

A burning ring of light appeared in the skies, slowly descending above Gronder Field. Everyone on the field looked up, confused and terrified at the heavenly sight, some dropped their weapons and fell to their knees in adoration or terror. Byleth screamed and dropped her sword, her hand burnt by the relic, the searing pain running through her whole arm and body as she fell to the ground. Beres tried to catch her only to be invaded by the inexplicable agony.

Edelgard saw her teachers fall and ran to their aid but at the first step forward her foot sunk into the ground up to the ankle. The Flame Emperor looked down only to see that the dirty floor had turned into black goo. The red leader froze in fear, realising that this substance was the same covering the bodies of those possessed by their crest stones. In panic she tried to pull her foot free only to see it swallowed deeper. Everyone around them howled in unison. All three armies crying out with the same desperate note.

The ring of light kept its slow, indifferent descent, uncaring about the amplified song of magnificent horror ringing as its choir drowned slowly. Edelgard reached out her hand with a helpless cry, tendrils of animated evil snaking into her mouth and eyes as Byleth extended hers, open and trembling, to her beloved pupil, too far to even hope to brush her fingers but the Emperor smiled bitterly, trying to engrave the image of her teacher like this, her tears like diamonds on her perfect face. The last picture on her retina before everything turned black.


	2. The Wrong Side of Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter has heavy medical themes along with depiction of injury, I apologise in advance if that makes you uncomfortable. The first two chapters are going to be a little heavy on that part but things should become lighter later down the road. Some characters may have some more screen time than other but I'll try to make it so everyone gets some development  
> PS : I already apologise for the long end chapter notes

A blur, numbness, his empty socket stung, stirring the Boar Prince awake. His valid eye opened, blinked, helplessly trying to chase the liquid trapped in it before he realized he was submerged in a tank of water, the forms of people moving outside of it in dim light. He tried to punch at the glass, only to feel that both his wrists were shackled together. He moved his head around, looking for a way out of this trap before drowni-… He choked, biting down the tube in his mouth, his sluggish body suddenly acknowledging the invasive presence of the object stuffed all the way down his throat, blowing air into his lungs.

He thrashed and kicked in panic, his feet colliding with the hard surface of the tank. Distorted voices hummed in his ears, whether the ones of his ghosts or the people outside he did not care, the water levels were slowly decreasing and soon the blond could raise his head above the surface. He tried to inhale the air but the machinery inside his body forced the air in and out at a steady pace while blocking any voluntary intake.

Dimitri stumbled, shoulder slamming against the glass as he regained his footing, all his muscles aching and groaning as they came back to life. Now the forms outside were fully visible, strange people in odd clothing, the first thing he noticed was the gigantic man, as tall if not taller than Dedue and his skin just as dark as his, a pale scar slashed diagonally across his face and the bridge of his nose from his right cheek to his left brow, piercing golden eyes immediately setting on the furious Prince. Second was a lithe man, walking with elegance and grace, the figure of an adored dancer and the sharpness and precision in his moves of a skilled assassin. And third and maybe the most revolting sight was a horned devil, eyes glowing red and dangerously edged canines peeking through their mischievous grin. No doubt a new creation of Edelgard to wreck havoc and desolation over Fodlan. A smart, obedient sort of demonic beast.

The face contorted in an expression of pure rage and hatred, his entire focus on the agile creature. They appeared oblivious to his raging fury, their attention entirely focused on the tall Duscur man, talking to him and getting their eyes away from the raging boar.

The walls of his prison vanished into the ground and Dimitri took his chance, viciously twisting his arms in his shackles he cracked them open, the material giving out way more easily than metal. And before the giant nor the devil could react he yanked the tube free from his throat, warm, tasteless blood and drool flooding his mouth, then he charged for the creature. No lance but his fists just as deadly as he reached to grab the mess of dark locks but right before his palm came in contact with the tiny skull the devil vaulted to face him, crimson irises sparkling with amusement were the last thing he saw.

“Sleep.”

* * *

Dimitri crashed on the hard floor, thrown off by his own weight and the bolt of his charge, rolling like a boneless doll until he came to a stop, motionless and silent.

“Good grief ! What on Earth happened here for this one to be so nervous ?” chirped Dusty, tilting their head in concern as they crouched by the unconscious body of the blond man who had pretty much tried to murder them just seconds after they had tried to rescue him.

“Dunno. But we got another coming.” signalled Domitius frowning as a large, white-haired black man started struggling against his bindings as well. “Don’t knock this one out, we can’t carry them both.” warned the large man, stepping to put himself between Dusty and the potential threat.

The man gave up undoing his shackled like the blond had and instead jumped out of the tank, pulling with his entire body to remove the tube from his lungs and blindly charging at them. Domitius sighed, squaring himself, but instead of taking the blow like the other man seemed to have expected he expertly grabbed him and tossed him aside using the man’s own momentum to hurl him away from Dusty. The warrior rolled but didn’t falter, jumping back to his feet and charging again, a scream on his lips but the damage caused by the violent extubation turned his war cry into a croaked wheeze. Domitius readied himself again but this time he slammed the flat of his hand full force onto the man’s back, sending him crashing at his feet.

“Domi ! Don’t punch them ! They’ll all think we’re bad guys !” called Dusty outraged.

The larger man huffed and crouched to the other man’s level. The stranger seemed to barely even notice, weakly crawling on his elbows towards the unconscious blond.

“...’ou’… Hi’...ehh...”

“He’s fine. Just a sleeping spell. Chill.”

The man looked up at him, confusion and distrust in his eyes. Domitius sighed and reached for the shackles, snapping the clasps open and freeing the big guy.

“There, see for yourself.”

The man nodded and scrambled to his friend’s side, pressing a hand to his chest and sighing of relief when he felt the torso rise and fall steadily and the drum of a heartbeat under his palm. He turned back at Domitius with questioning eyes unable to voice his thoughts.

“We’re the rescue,” mumbled the giant, brushing back his messy locks behind his ear. “We heard of this shady business and decided to break in. You would’ve known if you didn’t attack us.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright. You all heard that too people ? We’re the good guys ! Can we free you now or anyone else wants to wreck their trachea for no reason ?” chirped Dusty waving at the rest of the captives.

Dedue finally noticed that him and Dimitri were not the only one present here. Twenty-four tanks all filled with familiar faces people he had fought along and against. All students of the three houses. Dedue met his eyes with the other Blue Lions and simply answered their silent questions with a calm nod. Dimitri was safe and sound, he trusted that they intended no harm. The people of his house relaxed only slightly and Domitius stepped forward to start helping them out of their binds.

“I still don’t think the rest of the lot is ready to believe us,” pointed the elegant man, clever emerald eyes gauging the rest of the people. “Seems like we have different factions here.”

Dusty was about to add something when a white haired girl collapsed and started curling on herself, her whimpers of pain swallowed by the tube still stuck in her throat. “Good dear, hang on, child. I’m coming !”

The young girl contorted in pain as Dusty cleverly undid her shackles and properly removed the tube, encouraging her to cough the drool stuck in her throat by gently tapping her back. “There you go, child. Cough it out. We’re all leaving this place.”

“...m not… ‘m not a child.” she whispered weakly, trembling miserably on the floor.

“Of course, of course. Can you stand ?”

The girl nodded, pushing herself up only to stumble back in Dusty’s arms. “Looks like you will have to take this easy. One of your buddies will carry you. Sit tight.”

“Dusty dear ! This one too is in a bad shape.” pointed the elegant man jerking his chin toward another white haired woman. This one was still standing but her entire body was trembling, legs menacing to give out any second now.

“Good grief ! More reason to hurry up then ! Give us a hand, Kelpie. We did not bring you around just for your pretty face.”

The man scoffed but complied, scanning the small crowd one last time before stepping closer and working the binds of a tan man with messy dark hair who barely took the time to croak a thanks before jumping to the first girl. The three of them freed the rest of the prisoners and everyone started checking themselves. They no longer wore their armour but flimsy garbs of grey fabric, now drenched in cooling water. Simple shorts and tank tops.

“Hey, mister. Do you know where they have taken our stuff ? I need my bow !” called Claude, helping Raphael to lift Lysithea.

Gallus rose an eyebrow. “Your bow ? No idea. And I hardly think we can afford to look around for any of your stuff. You’ll pick out any weapons we will find on the guards, it will do.”

Claude winced. Clearly the man was not aware of any of their identities, maybe they were random vigilantes or mercenaries hoping to find some loot and pillage whatever place this was. No doubt giving away their rank might lead to them turning on them and with Lysithea barely holding onto her dear life, Dimitri slumped on Dedue’s shoulder, and Edelgard who could barely stand up straight he suspected things might take a sour turn even with their numerical advantage. Those people were clearly skilled warriors and none of them seemed to be in any shape to fight.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I’ll just pick another bow then.”

Now the stranger was frowning. “Another bow ? Darling, I hardly think you’ll find even one here.”

“Really ? Well, I’m fine with an axe then. Not my strong suit but...”

“An axe ? Where do you live, in a cave ? Do you know how to use a rifle ? A pistol at least ?”

“A-… I-… I don’t know how these things work.” stammered Claude, trying not to give away his ignorance with very little success. He’ll blame it on fatigue and confusion. In the group everyone exchanged confused looks, trying to parse what exactly the man was going on about. Things were definitely more dire than he thought. Had they been taken all the way to another country ? With technologies different from the one used in Fodlan ? That would explain their strange clothing and odd looks.

Gallus and Dusty exchanged long, hard stares before turning back at them. “Let’s just focus on getting out for now. We’ll discuss the rest in due time. Voice,” called the man in some strange device, some shining slab of glass and metal. “Do you copy ? We have about two dozen of survivors here who need extraction. Are you in position ?”

_Voiceless, copy. I’m in position, I locked all the doors I could to slow enemy progression. You still have a squad closing on your location. I tried to redirect them but they didn’t take the bait. I’ll slow them down but get ready for frontal assault. Voiceless over._

“How wonderful,” sneered the man slipping the device back in his chest pocket. “Alright, you all stand back. Don’t do anything unless we give you the explicit order. Am I clear ?”

“Crystal Clear.” replied Claude with a falsely confident smile, earning a disapproving glare from Lorenz. His friend attempting his best to still look noble despite the ridiculous costume he was wearing and his drenched, hair. “Let’s go, chief ! We’ll follow.”

Gallus hummed, turning to Edelgard who politely brushed away Hubert’s attempt to assist her. Upon noticing his gaze she swallowed and nodded as well. “Yes. We’ll follow as well.”

He then looked back at Dimitri passed out and shrugged, mumbling something about ‘this will do’ and walked towards the bolted door in long strides. This was not going to be a smooth ride.

* * *

Gallus looked back at the group they had just rescued. The more he looked at them the more he felt like they just had dived their hands in a nest of enraged wasps. All these people looked like seasoned warriors, none of them were free of scars even the ones who didn’t seem to have the muscle to stand their ground in a fight had ugly lines etched onto their skins. Gallus had wondered if they could be some packs of werepeople living in seclusion in the wilds like some did but Domitius had shown no reaction that would indicate that any of these people were Children of the Moon.

Surely if it had been the case they would have all been swarmed by a bunch of confused, pissed off beasts mistaking them for their jailers instead of their saviours. However that didn’t explain their clear ignorance of basic modern weaponry or the fact they had asked for bows, - _bows-_ and axes to defend themselves. Of course some runners used bows as weapons, practical for their complete quietness and the possibility to quickly dismantle and hide it, but they wouldn’t be unable to use guns and even less ignorant of their very existence. They clearly weren’t feyfolks or Dusty would have started some nameless chaos but they also weren’t some wild elves or underground dwarves either so why on Earth would they be so clearly observing every little light switch like miracles and yet expressing themselves with such precise and elaborate language. Clearly something had slipped by them and their new company was clearly too much on edge to show any bit of trust or confess.

But who was he to judge ? He would just listen to their discussions and try to figure out the mystery for himself. Sadly, so far his attempts had been fruitless.

He pulled out his commlink’s earpiece discreetly and slid it on with a practised motion. “Voice, you copy ?”

_I copy, Kelpie. What’s up ? Squad is still a few minutes away from your location._

“That’s not what I wanted to ask about,” whispered the spy barely moving his lips, knowing the hacker on the other end of the line would quickly understand what was plaguing him by hearing him whisper. “Got any data on our new protégés ?”

_Nothing that’s of interest to you. Just biological data so far, still working on the rest. We’ll have to ask Mocking-jay what he knows of this place. He’s been weirdly elusive about the run._

“You don’t say,” mumbled Gallus taking a quick side glance at the more or less designated leader of the rescues. Smart boy, no doubt, but he clearly made a lot of people nervous and spy could feel the storm brewing. He had identified the leaders of the three factions he had counted. One was passed out on one of his general’s shoulders, the other was barely holding onto consciousness, and the tanned man taking the lead of their barely holding truce was the only one standing above the rest. And Gallus knew all to well that this only meant his neck was bare for a beheading. “Listen, my dear. Things are tense here. I’ll have to make a move before it blows. I need you to have my back when Dust and Wolf inevitably try to veto.”

_Hm. Are you calling for a favour ?_

“I hate it but yes, I am.”

_Shit. Must be real bad then. You have my support. Just don’t kill anyone._

“Darling, you wound me ! I just had tremendous pain as a mean of securing everyone’s obedience on my mind. Nothing as crass as murder.”

_Whatever. Enemy squad approaching. Voiceless out._

Gallus turned his attention back on the sight before him, swiftly trotting to Domitius. The werewolf just had to take a quick glance at him to understand that things were about to get rowdy and tapped Dusty on the shoulder to warn them.

“My, my, already ? We don’t have a lot of places to take cover !” noted the pooka with a pout.

“We should ask Voice to open us an empty room on the side to protect our little darlings. How about you do that Dusty dear ? I’ll coach them while you’re at it and Domitius will help with evacuation.” purred the spy with an easygoing smile.

“Good for me ! How about ya’, Domi ?”

“No objections. Let’s get them safe.”

Gallus smiled, pleased with his success taking the lead. “Very well. Listen up, my dears,” called the spy using his natural charisma and Domitius’ imposing presence posed at his side to grab their complete attention. “The enemy team is closing in on us. You’ll have to take cover while Domitius and Dusty take the front, I’ll cover the rear and make sure no one is coming to get you so, you all play nice, listen to our good darling here," he said pointing at Claude. "And watch over each other while we protect you, yes ? We’ll have our hands full for a moment so be brave and we will all get out of here alive.”

That should strike the match. Dangerous but necessary. At least this would blow in a controlled space where Gallus could easily swoop in and take command. The tanned man nervously glanced to the side before catching himself and pulling out a confident smile. Definitely a smart one, possibly one cut of the same cloth as Gallus. Which should play in his favour.

“Aye, aye, chief. You can count on us to behave.” he said with a falsely calm demeanour, his nervousness barely betrayed by ticks that would have gone unnoticed by anyone that wasn’t as trained and observant as the spy. So openly taking once again the leadership clearly didn’t go unnoticed, two thirds of the group bristling at his attitude. Gallus could tell the other man was also aware of the sword of Damocles hanging over his head but doing so also meant all eyes were set on him and not the rest of his people. A people’s man. Possibly the biggest difference between him and Gallus then. Gallus would not risk his head so easily for ‘people’.

Dusty chirped that Voiceless had opened them a room to hide in, pointing at a metallic door clicking open when Domitius walked forwards to push it. “Everyone get inside.” barked the giant ushering them inside.

All pieces in place, now for the strike.

* * *

Hubert discreetly helped Edelgard stand up-straight, doing his best to help her keep her image of power and nobility, he looked at Dimitri, Prince of Faerghus, passed out over his second in command’s back, snoring pathetically, then he glared at Claude. The Leader of the Alliance held his head high, smiling and reassuring his people. The Leader of the Alliance was shepherding everyone inside the room. The Leader of the Alliance was taking the reins from the Emperor. The Leader of the Alliance was a threat. On Gronder Field he had tried to kill him. He would try again now.

He could not let the occasion pass. He was still too tired to attempt using magic but that did not make him harmless. He was much taller than Claude, and he still trained his physique. He crept silently, temporarily leaving Edelgard by Ferdinand’s side to approach his target. Claude was talking in cheerfully with one of his generals he did not bothered to remember the name of, unaware of his lurking presence. In the miserable garb they had been given his nape was perfectly visible. This would be swift.

His long pale arms snaked around his neck without a warning. He pulled Claude backwards, lifting him from the ground and snapping his windpipe shut while he protected his back against the wall. The archer struggled and kicked under his grasp but Hubert took the hits without faltering. All for his Emperor. All for Edelgard. All to keep her safe. All for her.

A flash of pain seared in his eyes, blinding him. His grasp on the wyvern rider faltered for a split second but long enough for him to elbow the dark bishop in the ribs and escape from his grasp coughing and wheezing. Hubert tried to rub the pain away from his eyes but no magic would come to soothe him. Instead a large hand slammed him to the wall while Edelgard called his name in a scream.

* * *

“My, my. I believe I asked for you all to behave. Truly, I’m disappointed.” purred Gallus with a wolfish smile while Domitius was almost crushing the creepy attempted assassin against the wall, another man with long ginger hair trying to order the giant to let go.

Claude coughed and rubbed his bruised neck while Hilda helped him stay up on his feet. “Is that so ?” croaked the Alliance Leader with a weak grin. He was pretty certain the man had called for this assassination attempt to happen but calling it out would only cause more chaos. “Anyway, nice move here. I’ll remember to aim for the eyes next time someone tries to murder me.”

“A classic. I strongly recommend it,” mused the spy with overt amusement. “But first things first, we can’t have you darlings trying to murder each others until we got you to safety. You can go on playing war with your bows and whatnot later once we’re not all risking our neck getting you to safety, yes ? If you start fighting among each others we’ll all die here. We can’t afford this.”

“I wholeheartedly agree, chief. What do you suggest ?” asked Claude gently nudging Hilda away to regain some countenance.

“Well, I suggest to even things out to set everyone’s minds at ease.”

“Even things out ?”

Claude didn’t like the sound of that, and seeing the gigantic man named Domitius react to the suggestion did not bode well.

“Yes ! I’ll explain. Here’s what I believe. You people are part of three opposed factions, Blondie darling over here,” he pointed at Dimitri still asleep and flanked by his entire crew in attempt to protect their incapacitated king. “Is one of the leader. This charming sweetie here,” he designated Edelgard sweating and panting while holding to Linhardt’s shoulders to stay standing. “Is another. And you, are the last one.”

Claude nodded warily, no point denying it now. The man had them unmasked. “You got me, chief. I still don’t see where you’re going.”

Gallus smiled, pleased with himself. “Yes, yes. Well, Blondie is out of commission, Dearie here can barely stand her ground, that leaves you. And that creates imbalance, puts you and your people in a position of power. Which, of course, makes everyone nervous.” he punctuated his explanation by pointing at Hubert, finally freed from Domitius’ grasp and rubbing circles against his aching chest. No doubt he would have a large hand-shaped bruise in a few moments.

“So what are you suggesting, chief ?” He truly didn’t like where this was going. And Gallus’ predatory glint sparkling in his emerald irises definitely didn’t have him feel at ease.

“I’m suggesting that we remove the threat you represent and-, let me finish, Domitius.- and once we’re not about to get shot at we’ll just let you all go back to your respective businesses.”

“Oi ! You’re not touching a hair of Claude’s head ! He did nothing wrong !” barked a young lass with fiery red hair putting herself between the spy and the Alliance Leader.

“Leonie, it’s okay. I get what he means. And I also thinks he knows killing me or doing anything that isn’t temporary would ultimately result in more needless fighting.”

Gallus beamed with delight. How rare to meet someone with a mind so close to his own. How pleasant. He would probably have loved to have a chat with him in one of his favourite bars. Maybe he should invite him later. “Such a bright darling. You got it all right.”

He was about to talk more when Domitius started sniffing the air insistently. “Kelpie. Enemies incoming.”

“Hmm. You go, Domitius. I’ll keep an eye on our protégés. Besides you've heard. I won't do anything irreversible.”

The large man looked at the group with a frown, earning an uneasy shiver from the crowd then glared at Gallus before wordlessly slipping out of the room.

Claude looked at the crowd around him, the Blue Lions were on edge, ready to bite at any moment to defend Dimitri, the Black Eagles didn’t fare much better, slowly circling his increasingly nervous Golden Deer. “So, what do you want to do to ‘even things out’ ?”

“Claude, you can’t be serious !” barked Lorenz, outraged. “If anything this attack proves we should do everything to keep our advantage and keep those murderers at bay !”

The Almyran sighed. Of course Lorenz would oppose. “No, Lorenz. The attack proves exactly what chief has been saying. As long as I stand unhindered everyone will be on the verge of lashing out. We can’t afford this. With all leaders under control everyone will behave simply because the leadership would then defer to chief and his team. Am I right ?”

Gallus acquiesced with a satisfied demeanour.

“This is ridiculous ! We have Lysithea injured ! And in worst shape than either Edelgard or Dimitri ! This is enough leverage !”

Claude shook his head with a defeated huff. “No, Lorenz. Just listen if it was then-”

A detonation cracked in the air, freezing everyone in place.

“What the-”

More bangs rang loudly, the sounds alien and yet conveying a clear message. Danger.

Gallus frowned and pulled a strange metallic tool from his vest, the shape was unlike anything the three houses had seen. A handle, some weird ring in which the man’s finger slipped easily, and a round long tube the spy kept pointed at the ground while he sneaked a peek towards the commotion. Growls and snarls joined the cacophony, Gallus just raised his arm in direction of the blaring, squeezed his finger in the ring and the tool detonated with a flash of fire. Everyone jumped back in fright, Dedue and Hubert immediately sheltering their leaders with their bodies.

Gallus simply hummed and turned his attention back to them, raising an eyebrow when he noticed them all staring at him in terror as if he had summon an eldritch entity. “Good dears. You really don’t know.”

Claude winced. “Just don’t point that thing at us, please.”

The spy rolled his eyes. “Oh please. If I had to kill you I wouldn’t do something so crass as shooting you all in a closed room. I wouldn’t even have bothered pulling you out of your tanks, just cut the air supply and you would not even have known what had happened, but back to business.” He slipped the revolver back in his holster and leaned back against the wall next to the door, using his renewed aura to keep his presence looming over them.

“Sure, chief. Whatever you say.” grinned Claude his head was still at risk of falling a little too early and he definitely didn’t want his dream to be cut short. Another louder explosion similar to Bengalone burst, followed by some sort of furious animal holler had him twitch nervously. “What do you suggest ? I’d just rather keep all my limbs attached, please.”

The spy seemed disappointed, letting out a long exhale. “No, darling. Nothing as vulgar. I was thinking about some incapacitating poison. I would give you the remedy once we are out of this place and no one will be harmed.”

Now Claude’s curiosity was piqued. He had always been making poisons, occasionally testing them on other people and even though he wasn’t very keen on experiencing the other side of the mirror he did feel interested by the topic. “I can fall behind that. But what tells me you’ll give me the antidote.”

“Well, just what you pointed out earlier. If I don’t your people will fall on us and the rest will lose trust in our team and ultimately cause us some trouble. Is that a sufficient explanation ?”

The Alliance Leader took a moment to ponder his decision, this was a gamble, big one. Lorenz was glaring holes at him, knowing exactly what was going on in this mind of his, and he strongly disapproved. But Claude loved gambles. “Alright, chief. I’ll have it.”

“Claude !”

But he was not listening, watching intently as Gallus pulled a nice colourless vial from the utility belt swung across his chest and held it out for him. Claude walked forwards, feeling everyone’s eyes following his movements as he confidently took the vial and opened it. He raised the vial to Gallus in an ultimate flamboyant gesture, doing his best not to show his anxiety, and chugged the liquid. The liquid slipped on his tongue, perfectly tasteless.

“Uck, if you have me drink raw poison at least make it tasty.”

Gallus smiled pleasantly. “It would make a poor poison then, my dear. But you already know that, don’t you ?”

Claude grinned, crossing his arms behind his head. “You sure we didn’t already meet before, chief ?” As he said that an uncomfortable tingle started spreading through his body. First a suffocating heat that had him choking on his breath, then it felt like hundreds of furious insects were trying to crack his bones from the inside to escape into his body. The Almyran shouted and doubled over in front of an utterly unimpressed spy still harbouring nothing but a bemused smile.

“Claude !” shouted his Golden Deers, running to his side. Raphael manhandled him into a sitting position while Lorenz and Leonie lectured him profusely about his risk-taking behaviour and Marianne held back her helpless tears as she tried in vain to summon her healing magic.

Claude managed a weak smile before his entire skeleton cracked in agony. “I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine, I swear...” winced the Alliance Leader, trying his best to reassure his friends despite the crushing pain he felt in his bones.

“That was irresponsible, Claude,” started Lorenz with a scorn. “Lysithea is already in a bad shape. We cannot afford to lose you as well.”

“Yeah, yeah… Don’t worry, Lorenz. I know how lost you’d be without me taking the lead...”

The Gloucester noble scoffed in disgust at the jab. It was a low blow but honestly Claude was not in the shape to deal with Lorenz’s attitude right now.

“Lorenz is right, Claude,” insisted Ignatz, worry etched on his face but unable to properly focus his eyes on Claude’s face without his glasses. “There could have been a less risky solution.”

The Almyran shrugged. “Well, too late for that. Let’s just focus on getting out of there safely...”

The Barbossa briefly scanned the room. Like Gallus had predicted the tension had redirected itself to the commotion slowly lessening in the corridor. Each house now focused on their leaders rather than Claude. Dimitri must be the one to have it the easiest, still snoozing peacefully despite Felix’s attempts at shaking him awake, now between himself and Edelgard he wasn’t sure who was in the most pain. The Emperor was pale as death, breathing hard and rivulets of sweat falling from her temples despite the cool air of the room.

He probably would look the same given a few minutes, still, there was a known antidote in his case. Claude had no idea what caused her condition and it would probably not be so easily solved.

The detonations started to die with a last growl, Gallus took a peek into the corridor but still didn’t make any signal for them to get moving. The sound of cracking bones and whines echoed in the hallway soon followed by heavy pants then the rustle of clothes before Dusty and Domitius reappeared before them, the first dishevelled and smelling like fire and the latter rearranging his messy locks and quickly noticing the young man curled up on the floor.

“What the fuck happened here ?”

* * *

Domitius growled as Gallus explained with the greatest calm why he had _poisoned_ one of the kids they were supposed to _rescue_ and he felt the hair on the back of his nape puff when Voiceless sided with the spy and Dusty reluctantly admitted, not without admonishing the kelpie for his methods, that measures needed to be taken. And the kids did seem a lot more docile than a few moments before.

It was still infuriating.

The werewolf turned his heels with a snarl, needing some more air from the spy’s smug smile. The second he did so the kids immediately marched behind him like chicks after a hen. Once again proving Gallus right. Which infuriated him further. He tried not to show his anger too much, the kids were just starting to stop behaving like cornered wolves, some even attempting to chat among each others, exchange reassuring shoulder bumps and friendly smiles. However one of the chicks trotted up to him, defiance written all over his face.

“Oi ! You think you’re tough ? Don’t start thinking you can beat me like you beat Hubert !”

Nevermind, that one was less of a chick and more of a cock. “I ain’t trying to beat anyone,” simply replied Domitius with a shrug. He could of course. But unlike Gallus, Domitius was not actively looking for conflict. “I had to protect another kid, that’s all.”

The green-haired kid scoffed. “Just because you’re big doesn’t make you the strongest ! I can beat up guys much bigger than myself !”

The werewolf rose an eyebrow. “That’s not what I said.”

“But you think you can beat me, right ? Well, I’m stronger than I look !”

“Whatever you say, kid.” he replied flatly. He had no doubt he could beat him. Hell, he could probably go on a rampage and beat down a good chunk of them before anyone could stop him. However the kid did not seem to catch the drift and kept on ranting endlessly but Domitius no longer listened. They were still not safe territory and there was no doubt some enemies would manage to bypass Voice’s hacking eventually.

A loud noise echoed in down the corridors.

“Fuck,” growled the werewolf, startling the noisy kid. He started to sniff the air, easily picking the scent of sweat and powder. “Stay put, kid.”

Caspar barely had the time to open his mouth in protest that Domitius’ jaw dislocated with a crack, revealing a row of long animal teeth. He just had the time to shrug off his coat before falling on his fours, coarse black fur piercing through his thick skin. All the kids stepped back in fright except for the green-haired one, paralysed as he watched the man he was challenging to a duel just moment before turn into a gigantic beast.

The werewolf shrugged off the discomfort of the shifting before bolting in direction of the incoming squad. He had to act fast, the kids were sitting ducks with no cover. He had to get them before the kids came in range. He charged the squad, lunging at the closest soldier, fangs bared and snapped his neck in one swift bite. The commander barked orders and the guns started roaring. Domitius felt the bullets impact on his thick combat gear, stunning him for a second before he dived back into a fight. A woman’s skull cracked under the strength of his maw, another soldier’s ribcage caved under the slam of his body, the commander’s arm was ripped off in an effusion of blood. He bolted to make short work of the last ones standing when the kid surged forward, armed with a combat rifle et wielded like a hammer.

Domitius stumbled, one split second of confusion that allowed the enemy to turn and shoot the kid before he could even understand his mistake.

* * *

“Caspar ! Caspar ! Hang on, Caspar ! My magic should return any second now !” called Linhardt uselessly slapping his bloody hands together as if he was trying to wake them up from numbness.

On the floor the War Master’s blood slowly started to form a crimson puddle. He had not understood what happened. He had charged the enemy with this weird weapon and… was there some archer hidden somewhere ? And yet when he ran his trembling fingers over the holes on his torso he couldn’t find any arrows. Just like they had appeared there by themselves but he couldn’t explain how. He choked on the blood bubbling in his throat and lungs, feeling a creeping cold settling in his limbs. Was he going to die here ? In this weird place of white walls, clean and proper ? Linhardt calling his name, deprived of his healing magic ? Far away from the battlefield ? Taken down with no glorious deed to immortalise his name ?

His friend tried to stop the bleeding with his own hands, unable to do anything but delay the inevitable. And were those tears pearling in his eyes ?

“Good grief. Move, child !” Dusty pushed Caspar’s friend out of the way, immediately ripping the soaked shirt off his bloody chest. The child had trouble breathing, his lungs slowly filling with blood. His companions stood behind, horrified as they watched their friend struggling to hang onto life. The pooka clicked their tongue, pressing their palms onto the injuries to slow the bleeding and assess the damage. Three bullet holes, broken collarbone, pierced lungs, possible stomach damage, massive haemorrhage. A medkit could not possibly fix all that. Better get the big guns.

“Alright, child. Grit your teeth, this is gonna hurt.” warned the pooka. Magic sparked in their fingers like electricity through the kid’s body. Fairytales sometimes described healing magic as gentle and soothing, warm and kind, but nothing was further from the truth. Healing magic was billions of warrior ants crawling under your skin, through your bloodstream, inside your bones, snapping their teeth to clamp bleeding veins and ramming into broken bones to set them back in place all while taking their payment from their victim’s very own reserves. A last resort kind of tool. A tool Dusty was practised using, making the pain slightly less agonising but a special kind of torture nonetheless.

Their magic pushed the bullets out of his body, sewed the arteries back together, consolidated shattered bones, repaired the damaged organs, causing sparks and jolts of electricity in every piece of repaired tissue. Blood stopped pouring and the skin knitted back togeter. When they finally removed their hands the blood underneath had already started coagulating. The kid tried to take a deep breath but instead started coughing, clearing out the blood still stuck in his lungs.

Dusty rolled him on the side with a shush, petting his short hair with their dirty hand. “There you go, child. Cough it all out. It’s over, you did well.”

“Caspar !” cried the child from before.

The pooka turned around to see the boy tucked under Domitius’ arm like a wiggly caterpillar. Dusty gestured at their sibling and Linhardt was set free.

“Caspar ! Caspar, are you alright ?”

“Urgh,” groaned the war master, gingerly running his fingers over the fresh scars, feeling the soft skin covering the holes under his calloused pads. “I feel awful. You heal me next time.”

Linhardt frowned, smacking his friend’s head. “I don’t want a next time, Caspar ! You scared me, I don’t even feel like sleeping any more.”

Caspar giggled, wincing when his collarbone aggressively reminded him that it was broken moments before. “Maybe I should do that next time you fall asleep during council.”

The bishop smacked Caspar again before taking off his shirt and handing it out to his friend. “You wear mine. You need it more.”

The war master shoot his friend a confused look before he realised his own was in tatters and no longer covering what was underneath. “Shit !” he snatched the piece of clothing and slipped it on, hiding his dirtied chest.

“Alright, child. Looks like you’ll be fine. Think you can stand ?” asked Dusty, pulling the kids out of their discussion.

Caspar scoffed and jumped on his feet. “Of course I can ! I’m as good as ne-...” his legs gave out just in time for Linhardt to catch him in his arms. “Urgh… I’m so dizzy...”

“Yup, that’s bloodloss, alright. Can anyone carry you ?”

“Do not worry, Caspar ! I will take upon my duty and carry you, come !” roared Ferdinand proudly, pulling the smaller man’s arm around his shoulders and shooting a bright smile to the pooka. “Thank you for healing my friend, lady ! We truly owe you !”

Dusty waved their hand dismissively. “No ‘Thanks’ or ‘Lady’ required. Just call me Dusty and don’t run unarmed in a gunfight and we’ll be even.”

Domitius nodded, giving the signal to the rest of the group to start moving. Things were starting to look more and more complicated, with five people out of commission, six more busy carrying them, they really needed to hurry.

* * *

Syvain had expected worse. Much worse. After seeing how Caspar had ended up facing the enemy he had immediately understood the urgency of leaving this place as soon as possible and clearly their ‘saviours’ thought so as well. At least now no one tried to jump ahead of fights after the imperial’s bloody attempt and the few skirmishes were mostly handled by the wolf-man and the small demon while the man who had poisoned Claude covered the rear and ‘kept an eye’ on them.

He was fairly certain that one was the least trustworthy of the lot but Sylvain had to admit that he was clever and observant beyond the regular mercenary he could have met or even the shrewdest spy the Kingdom could afford. He didn’t need more than an exchanged glance to know that the man had already understood a lot more about the ginger than even his childhood friends did and was also capable of telling Sylvain’s awareness of this fact. And no doubt he had already read every single person of their group the same way and would be able to foretell any brash action they might take. In fact he had noticed him observing Caspar moments before the War Master had charged and opted to let him do so. As if the potential loss of one person was an acceptable price to pay to make sure they all knew the danger of their situation and should be docile until he said so.

A dangerous man.

But thankfully he seemed to be fairly calm now, knowing full well no one would dare oppose him now that they knew of the danger of this situation.

The spy led them to cover in an immense room, filled with boxes and strange, huge caravans. And yet, the Gautier Knight could not see anything on them to tie the horse to them or even the horses for that matter. No doubt another surprise was coming for them.

The spy scouted the place to make sure it was free of enemies trying to ambush them, selected one of the caravans, and motioned them to jump inside while he took a spot in the driver’s cabin and started fiddling with something inside. Sylvain gritted his teeth, if part of him was relieved he was no longer looming over them another couldn’t stand the idea that he could probably kidnap them to Goddess-knows-where and turn into yet another jailor.

Still, he helped Dedue carry Dimitri inside and laid their King on his side, both men settling in front of him to shelter him from any attempt on his precious, crazed life with their own bodies. The caravan was clearly not meant to hold people but rather cargo, some boxes of unknown material littered here and there. Strong enough to hold whatever was inside but definitely not meant for someone to sit on or take blows. Impractical. But he was rather focused on the rest of the people filling the caravan and timidly sitting around like lost puppies.

Sylvain knew the people he should watch for. Edelgard, with her blood-stained ideals who led her to start a continent-scale war and attempt to slaighter the very people she had spent a year with, laughing and bonding without the slightest show of remorse. But now she was slumped against the shoulder of her second-in-command, her inside twisted by a curse he knew nothing about. Hubert, whose undying loyalty towards Edelgard had led him to attempt to take Claude’s life already. But his increasing concern for his Emperor isolating him from any other concern for the other factions. Caspar, in his desperate search for glory, was now pale as linen and clearly dizzy at the slightest effort. And Claude, the one man he could never read or guess the intentions of and had allied with the Church without attempting to offer a hand to the Kingdom. Now poisoned with his own consent in a gesture of good faith and convulsing violently every once in a while.

The rest was too confused and worried for their injured peers and leaders to be any threat.

Dimitri should be safe for now. At least until he woke up and started raving again. For now he was still snoring peacefully, as if they had not been surrounded by fighting and loud noises all this time. Sylvain was almost envious.

The caravan started trembling with a growl, startling the whole group, Dedue immediately jumping to his feet before falling back when it slowly started to move. A small window between the caravan and the driver’s cabin opened and the spy peeked his head while the noise kept rumbling. “Don’t panic, my dears. I just started the motor of the truck. I’m assuming you’ve never been in one so quick explanation : there’s a machine inside that can make the whole thing move and that’s the reason of the noise and vibration. Just sit tight, Dusty and Domitius will be joining soon.”

And with that he closed back the window and the caravan started moving slowly. Sylvain hoped it could go faster because right now the ‘truck’ was barely going at the speed of a man walking and their enemies would catch up to them without any real effort.

Soon after the giant wolf came to view, galloping with the demon on his back before hopping heavily inside the moving vehicle, almost landing on three Golden Deer.

“Whoopies ! Sorry, children. Kelpie ! Floor it ! Enemies incoming and Voiceless is waiting for us !” yelled the devil slipping off the wolf’s back and wobbling towards the driver’s cabin.

The pooka slapped the window and the motor roared as acknowledgement.

Sylvain wished he had not complained about the speed earlier because even his attempts at wyvern riding were less wild than that. The acceleration threw him right off balance. Tires screeching as the machine pulled its heavy load. Even the wolf stumbled a moment before helping those who had fallen by pushing them up with his long snoot. A loud bang resonated above their heads, followed by lighter thuds coming towards the opening of the caravan.

“There’s someone on the roof !” called Leonie, quick as a snake.

“Yeah ! That’s Voice, she must have jumped from the second floor’s window.” chirped Dusty with an amused smile.

But Sylvain stayed on his guard, he had no idea who that ‘Voice’ person was and until he had decided whether or not he could trust them he would not relax.

Hands gripped the edge of the roof and a body slung itself inside the truck, landing with inhuman agility before standing up straight in the shaking vehicle. And inhuman it was. The first thing was those long pointy ears, decorated with golden triangular jewellery and the ginger saw them move not quite like a cat’s but definitely not like a human’s. Second was that ceramic white arm, replacing flesh from the elbow and shaped in some otherworldly fashion like nothing he had seen before. And third was that eye. If the left one looked like a regular human’s besides the plump shape of the eyelids, the right one was pitch black, thin circlets of gold in stead of irises glinting in the dim light of the truck.

“Well, I see at least everyone is still alive. More or less. Dusty, how far are we in your countdown ?” she spoke in a voice that echoed the one he had heard in the metal slabs the three mercenaries have been using.

“Hmmmm, couple of minutes left. We should still see and hear the detonation.” explained the demon eyeing a little device that appeared to be a clock on their wrist.

The creature nodded. Ignoring all the confused, terrified looks on their faces she walked to the end of the truck and settled not far from Sylvain and Dedue. At this distance the ginger could see the glimmer of gold under her black eye carved into her cheekbone and along the side of her skull. The Gautier Knight had seen many ritual scarifications on the bodies of Sreng enemies but nothing that went as far as what he saw on the stranger.

Felix pinched his side. “You’ll just stare at everything with breasts. You’re hopeless.” scoffed the blade wielder.

“Ouch ! It’s not even her chest I was staring at ! Do you really think that’s her most noticeable feature ?” hissed the ginger in a low voice so the woman could hopefully not hear them.

Felix just scowled. “That’s what I figure you would notice first-hand.”

Sylvain just gave his childhood friend a half-hearted pout and focused back on the girl. She had pulled out a strange little tube out of her pocket and lit it with a flame coming out of a little box. It intrigued him for a moment, observing the incandescent stick curiously. The woman’s eyes eventually landed on him, the circlet in her dark iris spinning as it ended on him. The ginger grinned, he needed information to get a head start on the Alliance and the Empire and he might as well start with her.

He slid to sit next to her, ignoring Felix’s disgusted scoff and keeping his eyes carefully focused on her good eye so he would not get distracted by the gold on her skull or her stark white arm. “Y’know, I’m _very_ aware that I attract the eye but I would look much better in my bloodstained 100 pounds armour.”

Voiceless rose an eyebrow as she blew out the smoke from her lungs. Who the fuck tried to flirt by bragging about murder ? That was the worst pick-up line she had ever heard. “100 pounds ? Must have been a bitch to move around in. The heaviest armours don’t go above 50 pounds. You some special-ops soldier or some thing ?”

The smoke briefly startled the ginger but he kept his face as friendly as possible. Didn’t seem like she took the bait but at least a dialogue had started. “You get used to the weight after spending years dragging it around, trust me. And I’m a Dark Knight actually ! I did do some time as a Wyvern Rider as well, the battlefield looks really different ten feet above the ground. Nothing as fancy as ‘special-ops soldier’ or anything but it’s pretty nice if you ask me.”

Dark Knight ? Wyvern Rider ? What kind of edgy bullcrap was that ? She knew some wyverns had tolerated humans on their backs from time to time, sometimes running errands if they so pleased, but into a fight ? What in the world… “The wyverns I know wouldn’t let a human even suggest to climb on their backs unless they got some serious counterpart in exchange. How did you manage to chat one up ? Especially with your load.”

The ginger laughed. “I’ve had my girl for a few years before I could ride her ! It helped create a lasting bond. I still do sometimes. And truly female wyverns are much bigger than males so they are better for riding with heavy armour… more docile too ! Not like males. Defiant little shits.”

The explanation didn’t seem to convince the girl, pulling on her cigarette once more, Sylvain following her do the movement with his eyes transfixed on the tube. Female wyverns were bigger, sure, that was true. But more docile ? Never. They were fiercely territorial. While males just roamed from place to place without any real attachment to a specific place and were more inclined to bond with humans and the like. It also didn’t help that he spoke of them like animals instead of sharply intelligent creatures who would not hesitate to loudly voice their discontentment. She took notice of the ginger staring at her cigarette as she puffed out some more smoke and immediately went to fish the pack out of her pocket. “Want one ? ‘dunno how long you’ve been locked in there but it must have been ages since your last smoke.”

Sylvain laughed and shook his head. “Haha, no thank you ! I’d rather stay clear headed in the middle of a war.”

Voiceless frowned. “War ? What are you talking about ? We’re celebrating our eighth year of being war free world-wide. Where are you from ?”

The ginger winced upon noticing his slip. He had intended to go fishing for intel and in the end he was the one giving himself out. Maybe he should cut the conversation short but the woman’s explanation of a world free of war intrigued him. “Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. And this,” he pointed at Dimitri half-hidden by Dedue and Felix guarding him loyally. “Is our very sane head of the state. We’ve been at war for what now ? … Five years and a few months ? Sure feels a hell lot longer than that. Stopped counting the days a while ago,” He paused to give his group of friends a glance, before sitting upright again and stretching his back, grunting when he felt it pop in three different places. His amber eyes then fell back on the woman, feeling comfortable enough to offer her his hand in invitation: "Hey, I don't think we even introduced ourselves properly with everything that's been happening. I'm Sylvain."

Voiceless glanced down at the extended palm. The mention of some unknown Kingdom at war was not the craziest thing she had heard in her running carrier. She took the hand in hers and squeezed, this arm was a combat model, not really meant for pleasantries such as hand-holding. The material was not the right temperature and quite badly shaped, the mechanism of her taser in her palm probably resting uncomfortably against the other’s fingers. “Name’s Voiceless, Voice for short. I’m a runner. Can’t say I’ve heard of your ‘Kingdom’. Or your war. But you’re hella calm for a guy who must be lost as fuck.”

Sylvain chuckled. The hand felt weird in his but he was polite enough not to mention it. “You can say that. Maybe you could help by telling what is going on with you guys ? I have no idea who you are supposed to be, where we are, and such so a little insight is appreciated.”

Voiceless scratched the shaved side of her head, white finger running along the circuits printed in it. “Uh… how should I put it ? We’re runners... some sort of mercenaries who specialise in bothering big Corps. You do have mercenaries, right ? Our thing is to be a thorn in the side of people who do human trafficking. We heard of some place who might be conducting shady experiments and figured it would be a good place for a hit so we did and we found you. I got some files out of it but it needs some decoding before I can tell exactly what the fuck was done to you.”

The ginger hummed. Not really more enlightened than before but at least the woman was willing to explain what she could to him so there might be some hope. “Yeah, we do have mercenaries where I come from. Some of them were hired by our armies for Gronder but then… I don’t know. Some thing happened, like a circle of light falling from the sky and next thing we know we’re here ? We’re just a bunch of commoners and nobles enlisted in some senseless war honestly.”

Voiceless’ eyes widened, the golden circlet in her eye spinning madly. “No shit… You guys are World Walkers ? Damn, I knew they existed but that’s like… you’re lucky if you see one in a lifetime.”

“Excuse me, what ?”

“World Walkers. There’s some accounts here of people coming from entirely different worlds and ‘falling’ into ours. It’s said they are trapped in rings of light and swallowed by the ground. Is that what happened to y’all ?”

Sylvain ‘s mouth hung open for a moment. What in Fodlan ? “That’s… Yeah. Looks like we’re World Walkers or whatever you call them.”

Voiceless nodded, crushing the remnants of her cigarette under her boot before storing the maggot in a small box. "You should tell Dusty about this probably. They are the magical expert here. I don't think they know much about dimensional travel but they might be able to orient our research. Don't get your hopes up too high, tho. Traveling between planes is incredibly complex, most world walkers end up here on accident and I don't think I've heard of one of them making back home... It might have happened but it's not like any of them returned to confirm it," She paused a moment, considering her next question before blurting it out. "Say, Syl. While you're at it. Feel like telling me more about your home ? I never met world walkers before."

The nickname took Sylvain aback, to the point he probably paused and stared at Voice for longer that would be deemed morally correct. It had been without exaggeration a good dozen years since he'd last been called that, and the reminder made an unwanted sentiment build up in his throat, that he shook off by running his hand through his hair. He clicked his tongue when it got slightly stuck in knots but getting on going until he felt his locks smooth enough. "If you feel like being asleep within the next five minutes, I surely can count you the tales of the wonderful Holy Kingdom of Faerghus," He laughed mirthlessly, "Spoiler alert: it's not. Wonderful, that is. I'll gladly tell more about it if you return the favor though, I'd love to hear about how life without war feels like."

She had expected some dramatic tales like the ones she used to hear about in the media but no doubt those were just magnified like pretty much everything that was slapped on a screen. Why would they be any different than the people now after all ? They were still people. "Ah, soz. Didn't mean to make you feel bad. As for here, well, It's not good or bad, I guess ? One can make a decent living without too much trouble, there's criminality, sure. The elites are always trying to get fatter on the back of the workforce, sure. But there's runners to piss them off and stir some shit up and we won't get caught randomly in some military draft against our will or something. It’s a different kind of war. Economical, one you can see on screens and banks but not on battlefields. Can still ruin a lot of innocent people’s lives tho. But at least we get a fighting chance against the elites who decide the wars.”

The ginger listened to Voice's rant without interrupting her, nodding along to her explanation until she reached the end. "That's- that actually sounds like a pretty decent life to live, if you ask me. A lot less fragmented and boxed that our situation back home," Sylvain had no idea if Crests were actually a _thing_ in this world, but he had a feeling that even if they were, they wouldn't be a big of a deal as everyone made them out to be in Fodlan. And look where that'd brought them. He sighed, rubbing the back of his hand as he felt the tinge of his own crests there, waiting to be used. "Guess it's my turn now. I'll be more serious, I promise. Most of us here are the heirs of great noble houses, myself included. We were supposed to just marry, procreate and perpetuate the tradition to the next generation, I'm pretty sure. But then, war happened and it kinda just all went to shit. Fun times."

“Uh. Sounds like the Dark Ages. Soz you gotta put up with this.” She took a moment of pause. Shit, she really wanted to lit another cig now. That was a lot to unpack. Looks like this time the run would not be over by dropping the lost people at the closest airport and wishing the best for them. They both stood next to each other awkwardly unsure how to continue the discussion. “Anyways. Can’t wait to see your face when you realise that wyverns actually talk here.”

“… wyverns do what now ?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter :  
> Dusty is a 'Pooka' some chaotic neutral shapeshifting magical creature known to dispense great advice, make fruits rot and play relatively harmless tricks on human especially drunk ones notably by giving them wild rides in their mare shape. Dusty is non-binary and identifies as 'Agender'  
> Domitius is a human werewolf (incredible, I know) and half-pooka.  
> Gallus is a Kelpie, a shapeshifting evil creature that takes an enticing human form or the shape of a black or white horse to drown and devour people. Gallus is not a cannibal however he IS bad ans you should not trust him.  
> Voiceless is an elf and wears various augmentations, including her right arm and leg, along with her right eye. She is of asian descent (or the equivalent of Korea this world)  
> Magic is a lot more restricted in this world and unlike the FE universe only a few can make use of it.  
> Comm-Link : last edge phones that allows wide-range encrypted communication, hologram display, and monitoring of the wearer's vitals along with plenty of other functions. Being a very expensive tool it is mostly used by Special Forces and Runners.  
> Feyfolks : term regrouping any magical being like pookas, kelpies, and any other creature that cannot be considered a branch of humanity. All feyfolks are imbued with magic to varying degrees of potency. ex : Kelpies can only shapeshift to their horse or humanoid form and pretty much nothing else to a few exceptions while pookas are pretty much magical bombs to the point they have passive abilities beyong their own control (ex : rotting fruits).


	3. Those Beasts Inside of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group finally makes it to safety... but some of them are still endangered and need immediate care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to be heavily Edelgard centered and have medical themes including depiction of surgery.  
> Please feel free to give me your feedback regarding the story or the depiction of the characters or even your headcanons, I just love to interact with my readers. Also I have some drawings of my characters if you're interested in any sort of way tell me and I'll drop links in the next chapters.

Edelgard cannot tell when they arrived at their destination, or when Hubert carried her inside the encampment they had stopped in. She must have passed out on their trip in the truck, sweat sticking her white strands to her temples and cheeks. She weakly tried to push Hubert away to walk on her own but he refused to let go.

“Please, your Majesty. The tent is just right there and I’d loathe to see you fall so close.”

She gave up her struggle, leaning against the tall man’s chest. She hated that he was right. And she hated her current weakness. Petra held the flap of the tent open for them, it didn’t look like the ones she was used to. This tent was circular, high of ceiling, and very spacious. The entire floor covered in light padding and some sorts of colourful bags that could possibly be used as mattresses or blankets.

Her second-in-command gently set her down on a reddish bag and sat next to her. Like a loyal dog watching over her.

“...You don’t need to do that, Hubert.” she breathed out, trying to preserve some dignity as the rest of her Eagles took their place around them.

“I disagree, your Majesty. You clearly are in a terrible shape and need some rest. The healer said they would come soon, I’ll demand them to do something for you.”

She rolled her eyes. Of course he would. Even she couldn’t stop him when he was so set on protecting her. “Don’t be rude to them. They have saved Caspar, they deserve some consideration.”

The tall man nodded solemnly. “I acknowledge your wish.”

_But will obey it only if I decide so._ Couldn’t be helped she guessed. Petra and Dorothea came back inside the tent with a heavy pack of water and what seemed to be an armful of rations packed in some glossy material.

“Here. This has been given to us. They said we could eat it if we have hunger.” explained the assassin dropping the water in the middle of the tent.

Dorothea dropped her own load next to it before snatching one of the packs and prying it open. “I eavesdropped on the chat Sylvain was having with that girl. She mentioned something about us being ‘World Walkers’. Anyone has an idea of what this refers to ?”

“I’d say the name is pretty self-explanatory,” mumbled Linhardt between two yawns. “They think we come from a world different from this one. Honestly, I wouldn’t even be surprised if that were to be true. There’s just too many unknown technologies here to be in Fodlan.”

“What do you mean, we’re not in Fodlan ?! Where could we be ?!” squeaked Bernadetta hiding inside one of the bags like she would in her room.

“I mean, look at this place. They have caravans that move on their own, weapons that shoot arrow heads at great speed with a lot more power than actual bows, can talk to each others through slabs of metal, not to talk about how weird the magic is...”

“Yeah ! Magic sucks here ! I still feel terrible !” complained Caspar pointing at the mangled scar over his collar bone. Like the hole had been cauterised with molten wax.

“I admit, I’m at loss regarding our situation, but another world ? That seems really far-fetched.” replied Ferdinand scratching his fiery mane.

Hubert shook his head. “I don’t believe so. Linhardt does point up some good points and given what we have seen at Gronder Field… I think it is more than believable,” The Count Vestra looked to the side to his Emperor, her face half-hidden by her arm in an attempt to dissimulate her agony. “I will go fetch the healer, your Majesty. My magic has not yet returned and they might be able to help.”

“Hubert...”

The Dark Bishop didn’t leave her the time to hold him back that he had already risen and pushed the flap of the tent open. Focusing on Edelgard’s health had distracting him from observing the camp. The encampment had been set in some faraway clearing off the road. There was some old building that looked like a ruined farm house in which the mercenaries seemed to be at the moment. Five tents, only three of them being occupied at the moment. Maybe they had expected more people to be held prisoner. Shame they were the only ones to survive Gronder Field. Lots of excellent soldiers had been lost.

Hubert strode to the house and knocked on the ajar door. He waited politely, hearing some curses and shuffling before the large man opened the door, wearing brightly coloured gloves dripping with dirty soap water.

“What is it ?”

“Apologies, sir. My name is Hubert Von Vestra. I didn’t have the time to properly introduce myself. I happen to find myself in need of some more assistance.” he said, bowing to the man. He never expected to bow so low for some low-life mercenary but the man was clearly competent and had helped them without asking for a reward so respect was given where it was due.

The man shuffled uncomfortably and awkwardly tilted his head, his filthy hands hanging to his sides. “Domitius… No surname, just Domitius. Need more food ?”

Hubert gritted his teeth, maybe the man didn’t know proper etiquette but was mimicking so hard ? “No, we have received enough of the rations you so generously shared with us. I was more concerned about Lady Edelgard’s health.”

“Uuh… One of the white-haired girls ?”

This time his teeth made an audible noise. “Lady Edelgard is the Flame Emperor. Show her the respect she is due.”

“It’s still not telling me which one she is.” he noted, absolutely oblivious or voluntarily ignoring the biting tone. After all they were all wearing the same clothes and it’s wasn’t like he had any idea of who the kids could possibly be. “Anyway, we’re getting ready for that. We are just cleaning a room in case someone needs emergency surgery. She in pain ?”

The Count chewed back a stingy retort. No point antagonising people who were apparently attempting to help. “Yes, she is. Can you do something about it ?”

The man held out his filthy hand in some ‘you wait here’ gesture and disappeared back inside before returning a few minutes later holding a little colourful box. “Pop a pill. Just one. It’s painkillers not a remedy. Then hand it over to the other white-haired girl. Should help.”

Hubert took the box and bowed again. “Thank you, Sir. I am grateful. Our tent is over here when you are ready to see Lady Edelgard.”

The man acquiesced in acknowledgement and disappeared back inside the house. Once again Hubert grew irritated at the lack of manners of his ‘host’ and simply walked back to the tent they had settled in. Linhardt was unsurprisingly asleep, a bag pulled over himself like a blanket, Caspar munching on a ration next to him, Bernadetta was timidly peeking out of the bag she had hidden in, Ferdinand seemed to have assumed the role of a watcher, and both Petra and Dorothea were by Edelgard’s side, the Dancer gently refreshing her leader’s face with a soaked piece of cloth ripped from her own top.

Hubert sat next to her, nodding to her politely as a silent thanks for taking care of their impaired leader and opened the little box Domitius had given him. It was filled with little white balls, similar to basic sugar candies. Possibly the medicine was inside. Hubert remembered the disgusting healing potions he sometimes had to chug on the battlefield and thought about how convenient it would be to simply swallow some the same medicine coated in sugar and made a mental note to attempt such a clever tactic once he was back in his laboratory. Following Domitius’ advice he took only one and held it out in his palm.

“Lady Edelgard. The healer’s partner has handed me this medicine to assist you with the pain. They also mentioned they were getting ready to take care of your situation in a brief moment.”

The Flame Emperor opened her amethyst eyes and pushed herself to sit, considering the little sphere sitting in her second-in-command’s palm. “...Very well. Thank you, Hubert.” she finally said after a moment. She took the pill and put it in her mouth, making a disgusted face before swallowing it dry.

Hubert immediately scrambled to hand her some water. “Apologies, your Majesty. I should have given you something to drink it with. Or taken one myself.”

She shook her hand, laying back down on her bedding. “That’s fine, Hubert... I should not have bitten it, that’s all.”

Hubert hummed, observing his leader slowly relax as the medicine started to take effect. He remembered Domitius’ demand to send the pills to Lysithea once Lady Edelgard had taken hers and considered not following through but doing so might upset the mercenaries and they didn’t need to have them side with the Alliance or worse, the Kingdom. The Dark Bishop turned to Petra, knowing the Brigid princess was in good terms with Claude Von Riegan and more likely to be trusted by him and handed her the box. “Petra, please take this to the Alliance’s tent. Tell them it comes from the mercenaries and Lady Lysithea should take one if she feels in pain. If they suspect foul play tell them Her Majesty has taken one herself and no ill effects are to be observed at the moment.”

Petra nodded and took the box. “I have understanding. I will complete the task.”

Hubert watched her leave on the tip of her toes before returning his attention to Lady Edelgard. Clearly whatever was torturing her still kept bothering her but pain had receded to a more tolerable level. Petra returned soon after, saying the Alliance had accepted the offer, mentioning that Claude was in much better shape than before but still weak, suggesting he had been given the antidote like promised but had not yet recovered from its effects. If the prospect of having an enemy leader getting back on his feet was not pleasant it was still reassuring to learn that those mercenaries were true to their word and were likely to care for Lady Edelgard as well.

The group waited in mild tension until they could hear some heavy steps outside their tent.

Domitius pulled up the flap of the tent. “Hey, I’ve come to fetch… Ah, that’s not the one Dusty asked for.”

“Excuse me ? Lady Edelgard requires immediate care !” barked Hubert raising to his feet.

“Yeah, but the young one was more urgent. Dusty wanted to see her first.” explained the tall man with unwavering calm.

The Dark Bishop sneered. “Possibly, but Lady Edelgard is much more important than some minor Alliance Noble, I demand that she is taken in care immediately ! Or else-…”

“Hubert ! Stop this instant !” interrupted Edelgard, her tone scathing. “My apologies for his behaviour, sir. He merely wishes to protect me. I’ll wait for your return. Please take care of Lysithea. She should be in the Alliance tent.”

The large man merely nodded and took his leave. Hubert turned to his Emperor and kneeled before her. “Your Majesty. I’m asking you to reconsider, if we were to lose you...”

She shook her head, resolved. “No, Hubert. This man is right. Lysithea’s case is much more urgent than my own. Now that the pain has receded I can handle the situation a little longer. I do not think Lysithea could.”

Hubert frowned. “Why do you care ? She’s in the enemy team, if anything such a powerful mage succumbing to her injuries would do us a great service. She’s proven a great danger on the battlefield and-...”

“Enough ! I’m not in the mood to argue with you, Hubert. You will refrain from such outburst towards those mercenaries in the future. That’s an order.”

The Count bit his tongue but accepted the order, bowing to his Emperor and taking his spot by her side like the obedient servant he was meant to be.

Edelgard pinched the bridge of her nose, drained by this single display of strength she had to put up. The ambiance in the tent was unbelievably tense now as everyone waited in silence. “Please, everyone. Try to get some strength back during this moment of respite. We don’t know what the future holds and I’d loathe to see you all exhausted simply because you’ve worried too much. I’m fine, I promise.” A lie. Even if this pill she had taken had dampened the pain she still felt the fiery fighting happening in her guts and sapping her energy.

“Just don’t overwork yourself, Edie. You looked really awful just moments ago.”

“It’s okay, Dorothea. This healing pill Hubert brought back really did me some good.”

“If you say so. You still look really pale.” sighed the songstress.

“Yes. Would you want me to hunt for herbs ? Maybe I can find ones to help.” added Petra.

Linhardt yawned loudly. “From the little I’ve seen vegetation is very different here. I’m not sure you’ll find anything you’ll be looking for.”

“You just go to sleep, Linhardt ! The faster your magic returns the faster you can start doing the healing yourself !” said Caspar insistantly.

“I don’t think I’ll get my magic back as long as we’re here, Caspar. Or any of us for that matter. It appears magic doesn’t follow the same rules they do in Fodlan. Maybe those very rules are the reason Lysithea and Edelgard are having problems right now.”

“Wait, what do you mean ?” asked Ferdinand perking up from his spot near the tent flap.

“I’m wondering if this could have to do with Crests… Ah, well, it’s not like I can do any research about it at the moment. I better take a nap.”

“Linhardt ! Don’t dodge the question ! What do you mean ?!”

“Calm down, Ferdinand. I think I see what Linhardt is referring to. Honestly I suspected as much.”

“Uh ? What do you mean ?” asked Bernadetta peeking from her bag.

“What I mean...” started the emperor, pausing to let out a deep sigh. “Is that I have two Crests. The Crest of Flames, like teacher does, and the Crest of Adrastia. I wasn’t born with any of these Crests. They were forced into me by terrible people Hubert calls ‘Those Who Slither In The Dark’. And Lysithea was one of the first test subject that led to my ‘creation’. She too bears two Crests.”

“Goddess ! Edie, that’s terrible ! Why didn’t you say so sooner ?!”

She sighed, defeated. “I could not. Sharing this information would have put you in great danger. Those Who Slither In The Dark did not want this information to be known and would not have hesitated to execute you if they knew you had this information. Only them, myself, and Hubert knew. As for how Linhardt was aware… I must only be grateful that you kept your knowledge a secret.”

“… Hmm ? Oh, I just figured that Hubert would kill me. I didn’t know about Those Who Slither In The Dark or whatever their name is. I did talk about it to Lysithea when we were at the Academy back then. She did mention the presence of her two Crests causing health issues so I figured it might be the case here as well.”

Edelgard shook her head. “What a waste for your brilliant mind to be stuck in such a lazy body.”

Linhardt shrugged, laying back down. Not his problem now. The group started talking Crests, the magic of this world, the weird technology, and slowly the discussion drifted to how different the food would be, everyone a little calmer than a few moments before, all besides Hubert, kneeling in silence next to his Emperor. All he cared about was to hear the footsteps of the tall man coming to fetch Lady Edelgard.

Counting the seconds…

The minutes…

Nearly two hours had passed before he heard the sound outside the tent and perked up.

Once again the man opened the tent flap without announcing himself, startling half of their group.

“Dusty is ready. She’ll see you next.” He pointed his bearded chin to Caspar. “You can come with me.” he added in direction of Edelgard.

The Emperor nodded and rose unsteadily to her feet, Hubert immediately raising to support her. “I’m coming with her.”

“Sure. Just not more than two at once.”

Apparently the mercenary had expected this, simply turning his heels and walking back to the decrepit farmhouse. Hubert supported Edelgard as she stumbled outside, the air had started growing colder and she shivered in her flimsy clothing. Hubert hated that he did not have a coat to offer and simply pressed his palms onto her bare shoulders in an attempt to give her some of his warmth.

They stepped in the house, welcomed by the aggressive smell that had them wrinkling their noses in disgust. In a corner of the room had been improvised some cot on which Lysithea laid unconscious under a blanket, next to her the pointy-eared woman and Marianne, the healer monitoring her vitals using a shiny tool under the guidance of the black-eyed mercenary.

Edelgard briefly glanced in their direction, ensuring that Lysithea was out of danger before focusing back on her own path.

Domitius led them in another room aside where Dusty was waiting, cleaning some tools that looked dangerously like surgical tools. Hubert tensed at the sight.

“Ah, you’re finally here ! Sorry for the wait, little Lady’s condition required surgery. She’s fine now tho,” chirped the black devil with a bright smile, gesturing at the two newcomers to sit on some unsteady stools. “Alright, so first things first. My name’s Dusty, and the big guy is my brother, Domitius. You’ve seen Voiceless with little Lady and the pretty jerk with a penchant for poisoning others is Gallus, but we gotta call him Kelpie when we’re on runs. It’s all complicated but don’t bother about it. Domitius told me you two are named Edelgard and Hubert, yes ? How do you feel ?”

“I’m fine.”

“I don’t mean ‘what should you reply to people who ask you how you’re managing to save face’. I mean ‘I know something is wrong and I need to hear the whole truth to be able to help properly’.”

Edelgard shifted uncomfortably, she had not expected to be called out with such a bright and natural smile. “I’m… well, not in pain any more thanks to this medicine you’ve given me. But I can feel something is going wrong inside my guts.”

“I see, mind pointing me where ?”

The Emperor lifted her shirt and pointed at the clean white scar baring her torso horizontally and Hubert gritted his teeth. Curse Linhardt and his insane observation skills.

“Hmm, yes. Little Lady had the same one. I’m afraid you both have the same problem.”

“I see… Does that mean I will require surgery as well ?”

“Lady Edelgard, the implication of this procedures-...”

“Hubert. I said that is enough. Please, Master healer. Answer the question.”

“We’ll see about that. I’ll scan you to assess the damage and we’ll see from here,” Dusty took a long cylinder device and held it horizontally above Edelgard’s head. “Alright, when you’re ready take a deep breath and hold it until I give you the signal. It will just last a few seconds and you won't feel a thing. Can you do that ?”

The Emperor nodded and inhaled. The instant she blocked her respiration Dusty clicked on a small button, a ray of bluish light coming out of it. The healer slowly lowered the device in front of Edelgard, the light descending across her body. She had steeled herself to feel pain, a jolt, anything, but the glow gave her no sensation whatsoever. Not even a tingle.

“Done !” chirped the devil. “Let’s see what we have.”

They set the device on their lap and clicked the same button again. This time a full translucent torso materialised before them. “Well, like little Lady you have little pieces of what I assume are arrow heads or broken weapons here and there but no big deal,” explained the healer pointing at two glowing shards one near her left scapula and another in the lower right of her belly. “But the thing that’s more worrisome is that big thingie over there.” They explained pointing at a large growth just under her heart.

Edelgard leaned closer, fascinated by the display. Dusty made a few little gestures and the growth turned red, showing the full extend of it. Arms had grown out of it, curling around her heart and latching onto her lungs like fungi. She gulped, reaching out her fingers to brush the red bubble plaguing her chest but her fingers met nothing but air.

Dusty hummed, pulling her out of her contemplation. “Yours look nastier than little Lady. It might be tricky to get rid of it but that’s definitely doable. I’ll probs need an extra pair of hands. Domi, could you call Gallus. He should be able to he-...”

“No, I demand to be your assistant for any required procedures.” interrupted Hubert. The Dark Bishop had not been impressed even the slightest at the display which for all he could tell was just an elaborate trick to get Edelgard to comply.

“Hubert, I said-...”

“Your Majesty. This man has deliberately poisoned Claude without showing an ounce of remorse. I am concerned he might not be trusted for such a complicated procedure. Besides, my presence would ensure that nothing you haven’t consented to will be done to your body.”

The Emperor shoulders’ sagged in defeat. Too exhausted to fight back. “Very well. Is this agreable, Master healer ?”

“Just ‘Dusty’ is fine. And if you trust his hands to be steady then no objections. I’d ask if he’s queasy at the sight of blood and guts but I suspect I already know the answer.”

Edelgard hummed in confirmation. Dusty then explained how things would go.

Edelgard would be sedated, put to sleep, and intubated. She should not wake up during the procedure nor feel a thing. The reassurance seemed to soothe her a bit but she remained on her guard, asking if it was possible to stay awake but Dusty said that staying awake while being paralysed and sedated could cause massive panic attack and hallucinations and advised against it, bringing up the fact her ‘friend’ would be supervising the whole thing while she was under. Hubert once again voiced that no harm would come to her while he stood.

Dusty then explained the rest of the procedure, where they would make an incision, how they would pry the growth out of her body, how they would sew her back together once they were over. Hubert would assist them in this and that while Domitius would hand them the tools and help shall they need a third pair of hand which would be required at some points.

“Little Lady’s surgery went smoothly. I did not have to use healing magic so no worries about that. She too was wary of the procedure but if you want to ask her how it went she must be awake by now, possibly a little high from sedation but coherent enough. Her little friend was in the room too but not as close as friendly buddy over here but she could still be able to fill in the gaps while we get the room ready for another intervention.”

“I would like to talk to her, yes. Then I’ll shower and change as instructed.”

Good ! Go ahead then. Voice will give ya your change. You too, friendly buddy. I don’t want you to bring in germs. I’ll show you all the procedure to wash your hands and stuff once you’re ready.”

They both nodded and took their leave while Dusty and Domitius started working. Edelgard felt uneasiness in her stomach but whether this was caused by the growth or mere anxiety she couldn’t tell.

“Is your Majesty alright ?” asked Hubert once the door closed behind them.

She huffed out a humourless laugh. “Honestly I can’t tell. Part of me wants to run away but the other is… giddy ? If this growth they have found is indeed related to my additional Crest… Then taking it out might remove the Crest of Flames from my body all together. This would be a major loss of power for me but… liberating somehow. Maybe without this Crest the nightmares will stop.”

“I doubt this will be so simple. Are you really certain you desire to lose such a powerful asset ? Won’t it be necessary in our fight against Those Who Slither In The Dark ?”

“Possibly… Losing the Crest of Flames will need me to rethink my strategy. However I’m afraid if I want to survive long enough to achieve my goals I have no choice but to go along with this procedure. What I feel… This thing is devouring me from the inside. I always felt it move inside me but so far we worked together somehow… Now it’s like it has turned on me and either way one of us has to go.”

Hubert observed her in silence. This was not his place to speak up now. His role was to ensure Lady Edelgard would survive no matter the cost. And if that meant he had to find a way to compensate for the loss of her secondary Crest then so be it.

She let out a deep sigh, taking another deep breath before she set her course for Lysithea’s cot. Hubert stayed at a respectable distance, not wishing to intrude on whatever intimate question his master might ask the young Lady.

The Gremory was talking to Marianne in a croaked voice, eyes puffy from sleep and exhaustion. Voiceless was nowhere in sight.

“Lysithea. May I have a word with you ?”

“...yeah… Marianne, can you give us some space, please ?”

The healer nodded. “Of course. I’ll be with Hubert.”

The two women were left in relative privacy, Hubert and Marianne still within an earshot in case of danger but far enough to give them a semblance of privacy. The Emperor sat on the edge of the improvised cot, doing her best to keep up her face despite the rumbling between her ribs.

“So… You too, uh ? I should have guessed...”

“You couldn’t have known… I kept it a secret from everyone. Most of my own generals don’t know either. I just told the ones with me about it.” So many questions hung from her lips. Why did they do it to her ? How did she survived ? Did she went through the same torture ? Did she knew about Those Who Slither In The Dark ?

But no word could go past her lips. Sealed by the fear that the young woman was having the same nightmares as her and nothing she had could have done could have prevented it.

“So, I’m guessing you want to ask what they… the healer I mean, Dusty. Have done to me ?”

Edelgard jolted back to her thoughts. “Ah, yes ! That’s… that’s what I wanted to know about...”

Lysithea hummed. She knew more questions would come later. Despite her young age she had shown to be extremely level-headed and clever and in the turmoil of thoughts swirling inside of her head she was grateful for her calm.

“Well, I was not awake for it, but Marianne told me how it went. They took… They took out the thing those people had stored in me. Apparently it made my Crests react at some point but it seems like it went smoothly. Marianne said… She said it looked like a living thing. It moved and writhed… like a spider. I tried summoning my Crests but they haven’t reacted. Dusty said Marianne I would probably be unable to summon them yet because of the thing she gave me to sleep. Or maybe removing one removed both. I don’t know. But I think you should be prepared for this possibility. You might lose both your Crests in this procedure.”

The Emperor nodded slowly. Losing both her Crests might be a major hindrance but a part of her… A part of her craved to be free of this curse. She hated Crests and she wished for a world free of them. What better way to start it by freeing herself of them first ?

“I see… Thank you for warning me. Was it painful ?”

“No… I felt nothing. Dusty told Marianne pain might come when the sedative wears off but… I feel so light. Ever since I’ve had two Crests I always felt weighted down. Like having rocks inside my stomach. Even when I had to take too many potions I always felt them crushing me down but now… I feel like I could float. This is silly, isn’t it ? Feeling like this...”

“No,” replied the Emperor shaking her head. “It’s not silly at all. If anything I hope this will be the same for me.”

Wishful thinking but Lysithea smiled. “I’m sure you’ll feel it. You’re strong, if I made it you should.”

Edelgard smiled. “Thank you, Lysithea. I’ll see you in a bit then.”

She rose to her feet and walked to Hubert, the Dark Bishop clearly interrogating the healer in some threatening way and given how much she was trembling he probably went overboard. “Hubert, leave her alone.”

“Apologies, your Majesty. Have you made your decision ?”

“Yes. Let’s get ready.”

* * *

Hubert found his teeth aching from all the cringing he found himself doing. This Domitius man was really grating with his manners, talking to him as if they were equals, giving him orders, asking him ridiculous things. He been separated from Lady Edelgard and Domitius had led him aside, asked him to entirely strip and wash himself with some pungent liquid soap, not touch anything, dress in some weird paper robe, put on thin gloves that would not stand even the slightest blow and stuck uncomfortably on his scarred hands, a mask that kept getting sucked into his mouth or nostrils, a weird hat that was supposed to hold his hair but looked utterly ridiculous, then explained the tools they had as if he didn’t knew half of them already. Some were odd, he had to admit, but overall it was not as complicated as the man made it seem.

But what infuriated him more than anything was Edelgard’s absence and the fact he had not been allowed to go with her. How could he be certain the devil had not separated them to harm or kill Lady Edelgard while he wasn’t with her ? Domitius kept telling him that all Dusty would do would be to prepare her for surgery and bring her here once they would have explained how the intervention would go but it took a lot longer than it did for Hubert.

When she finally arrived the Dark Bishop was very close to try using those sharp blades on the large man in a vain attempt to rescue Lady Edelgard.

Just like him she had been outfitted with a ridiculous new set of clothes and she wobbled clumsily on her feet as Dusty led her to the table covered with a sheet of fabric they would use for the surgery. The Count also noticed something had been stuck in a vein of her forearm, like a little tube closed with some weird cork.

“What happened to Lady Edelgard ? Why is she looking so unsteady ?” interrogated Hubert dryly, his patience wearing dangerously thin as time ticked by.

“Premedication,” explained Dusty helping the young woman to lay down. “You know, so she doesn’t feel pain and feels asleep faster, yadda, yadda. Alright, now if everyone is ready I’ll get ready for anaesthesia and intubation then we can start.”

Edelgard mumbled her consent and tried to get comfortable as she could be on the hard surface, Hubert cursing that he did not insist more on bringing some padding for her comfort but now it was too late. Dusty busied themselves with a syringe and leaned over Edelgard.

“This is the anaesthetic I told you about. I’m going to inject this and you’ll fall asleep. You won’t be dreaming or anything, for all you know you’ll simply close your eyes and when you open them it will be all over.”

“Yes… Thank you, master healer.”

“Nah, no ‘master healer’ for me. ‘Dusty’ will do. You just relax. Your buddy will watch over you.”

Edelgard looked to the side to find Hubert with glassy eyes and nodded. The Count could not help but feel a swell of pride at the display of trust his Emperor had shown him. Dusty took the syringe to the tap on Edelgard’s arm and slowly injected its content inside. The Flame Emperor’s eyes did not leave her second in command as they slowly drifted shut.

The devil moved quickly, connecting the tap to a pocket of liquid and intubating her with practised motions before focusing on the real part of the surgery.

Hubert steeled himself as he saw Domitius hand his sibling the scalpel and the edge of the blade press against the perfectly white skin of Edelgard. He was tense like a coiled snake, ready to snatch the knife away shall it plunge too deep. But it didn’t. Blood pearled red as it cut through the flesh but Domitius promptly cleaned it away before it could roll away.

They worked in perfect tandem, Domitius handing away any tool before Dusty even asked for them and Hubert barely fit in this performant duo. He even regretted thinking ill of Domitius earlier, the large man being a lot more skilled than he had given him credit for. Next to them both he felt inadequate. But he had no time to lament on his pitiful performance, having to perform the simplest task and leaving the hardest ones to Domitius because now the cause of Lady Edelgard’s ills was exposed.

An ugly little tumour, glowing gold under the grime of blood, sinister tendrils snaking around her beating heart and filling lungs.

“That’s where I’ll need your help, child. Domitius is dextrous but this is too delicate for him. Are you ready ?”

Hubert snapped back to reality, he was not just looking into a random corpse. He was looking into Lady Edelgard’s living body and he was expected to help. He was expected to help and… he had no idea how. “I-… Yes. Tell me how to do it.”

“Good. So take the pincers and gently pull on this tendril. We’ll start by freeing the lungs.”

Hubert obeyed, pulling off the tendrils one by one while Dusty carefully separated them from the living flesh. At first it was easy but soon Hubert realised that he needed to somehow keep a hold of the tendrils they had cut away for they moved and tried to reattached to Edelgard’s organs. He was amazed by Dusty’s precise movements, barely drawing blood or cutting healthy tissue. Domitius ensured their field of view would be unobscured by blood, allowing the two of them to entirely focus on the glowing parasite.

“The tendrils are getting difficult to hold on. Shouldn’t we sever them ?” asked Hubert as he tried to secure yet another tendril in his second pincer.

“I tried to with Little Lady but when they got cut they grew back and reattached even faster. I’d rather not try again, made us waste a considerable amount of time.”

Hubert hummed in acknowledgement. The tendrils he held writhed angrily and he was rather certain that if he was not wearing gloves or holding them to a safe distance with his pincers it would have tried to attach to his hand. Lady Edelgard’s lungs were now free from the tumour and most of the tendrils had been removed from her heart but the tumour remained deeply anchored into her beating heart.

“Normally we’d need a derivation so we can stop the heart while we work but we don’t have the correct devices for this so be extra careful, child. We’ll take out the tumour to make the rest easier.”

The Count nodded, he regretted not taking any of the rations Petra had brought earlier. Nervousness and intense focus made his hands tremble slightly.

Hubert carefully pinched the tendril, matching the movement of his hand with the pulse of his Emperor’s heart. His chest ached as he saw the glint of the scalpel coming closer to her flesh. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fingers around his pincers.

And the blade sank under the glowing parasite.

Raw magic hissed out of the cut. A blast burst out of the young woman’s chest, her entire body arched and tensed as vicious magic coursed through her body. The glow became more intense and formed an aura. The Crest of Flames. Engulfing the room in bright shadows and dark lights. Domitius slid behind Hubert and grabbed both his wrists. The Count went still, frozen in place. He could feel magic sparkle across his skin, familiar but immensely threatening. Was this the ‘reaction’ he had been warned about ? How could something so immensely powerful reside in his Emperor without his knowledge ? Was it even possible to fight against it ?

“My, my, you’re nastier than the other one, aren’t ya ? But your are not from this world and your presence is killing this girl. Begone !” demanded Dusty, their blade sunk into the tumour.

The Crest burnt threateningly, but Dusty was having none of that. The devil summoned their own magic, holding their ground fiercely.

“You do not belong here, old one. You must leave. Now !”

A new outburst of magic blew, blasting across his face. Hubert tried to move away from the aggressive force but Domitius’s massive body trapped him.

“Don’t move. It’s almost over.” whispered the mercenary.

Hubert tensed, trying to pry his wrists free from the large man before he realised. Dusty had not stopped cutting the tumour free. And by taking his hands Domitius had made sure the Count would not be letting go of the writhing tendrils and glowing blob being slowly ripped away from Lady Edelgard’s heart.

The Dark Bishop cursed his moment of panic. If not for the cool-head of the wolf man he would have lost his composure.

Magic cracked but this time the Count didn’t flinch. His head back in the game. He would not fail his duty to his Emperor.

“You think you can impress me with a little flex of magic, do you ? Well, I have magic too and unlike you I have not been shattered. Time to end this little duel.”

A last clever twist of their blade and the tumour ripped free.

The force screeched and boomed in one last cry, throwing Dusty off balance and onto their ass but Domitius stayed strong, securing Hubert against his chest. The tendrils writhed and slipped free of the pincer, wrapping themselves around the smouldering blob. The mercenary pulled on his arm and secured the tumour in a box. The glow was already starting to recede, the parasite already dying without its host.

Dusty rose to their feet, rubbing their rear with a whine. “I’m going to feel this in the morning… Alright. Let’s close this up and call it a day. I hope no one else has a need for more surgery.”

Domitius let out a gruff of agreement and let go of Hubert’s wrists. Now that the hard part of the work had been done they no longer needed the Count’s assistance, but Hubert was not going to leave her side until he was certain all had been done properly. And so he stood by her side. As he was always meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'stick' Dusty is using is called a 'Medical Helper' it scans the patient and shows a hologram of the individual, highlighting anything odd like a tumour, or signals anything out of the ordinary that could reveal some sort of injury. It is not 100% sure but it is a good starting point. As I pictured it the Crest tumour were emitting strong heat, making them easy to pinpoint. It is a very handy tool for field-surgeons and emergency doctors.  
> More explanations regarding my HCs concerning 'Blood Reconstruction Surgery' and how those tumour formed will be explained later along the story.


	4. Of Broken Minds and Broken Paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The entire group reunites around the table to discuss the situation and figure out what has been going on with Edelgard and Lysithea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come talk hc with me and see my art on twitter at https://twitter.com/ReformedViIIain

He felt heavy, sluggish, numb. And yet his mind was peaceful, relaxed, almost blissful. His valid eye slowly opened. He was in some sort of tent, surrounded by his Blue Lions. Dedue was sitting cross-legged in front of him, breathing out slowly. Watching over him even in his sleep. He didn’t deserve his loyalty.

Dimitri quietly pushed himself up, careful not to wake his vassal or any other of his generals as he stepped outside. The sun was barely starting to rise and the cold air brushed against his scarred skin. The familiar sensation of cold wrapping around his body brought a rare sense of calm to his soul. The unfamiliar camp was quiet, silent, peaceful… and so were his ghosts. He had no idea were he was or how he got there and yet his mind was at rest.

“Good morning, child. Did you sleep well ?”

The Boar Prince turned around to face the little devil, their black lion tail swishing behind them.

“You put me to sleep.”

“Yeah ! And you tried to kill me. How is your throat by the way ?” chirped the strange being.

Dimitri looked it up and down but saw no sign of Crest stone embed on its body but maybe it was hidden somewhere under its clothes. “You’re not working for Edelgard, are you ? You should have killed me instead.”

“How gloomy ! I have no intend to kill you. If anything we’re trying to save the lot of you.”

“Why ?”

The devil seemed to be intrigued by the question and paused a moment, looking up at the pale blue and yellow morning sky. “Why ? My, why anyone do anything they don’t gain something from ? Moral values ? A desire for justice ? Repentance ? Just because we can ? That is a good question indeed. Why do you think we do ?”

Dimitri gauged the creature, they didn’t seem bothered in any way by his presence, not threatened or impressed, like they had no idea who he was and the things he had done. Standing just within his range of attack and yet not showing any sign of worry or discomfort. He was pretty certain he could snapped them in half if he so desired but they truly didn’t care.

“… I don’t know. I don’t know who you all are or why you spared me. I honestly don’t think you should. I will only cause you troubles.”

The devil hummed, their scarlet red eyes scanning his face. “I believe it is soon to declare this yet. Besides, I like trouble. Makes one’s day more interesting I believe !”

The Prince scoffed but didn’t retort. They would realise their mistake soon enough.

“Oh, since you were passed out during presentations. Name’s Dusty ! And you are ?”

“… Dimitri. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Crown Prince of Faerghus. But now just a wandering beast.”

“That’s a long title. Faerghus is in that ‘Fodlan’ place, yes ? When everyone is up we’ll have some big meeting to figure stuff out. No obligation but it would definitely be nice if you happened to be there.”

“I’m not sure I should… She’s going to be there, right ? I am not certain I can control myself around her. Not after all she’s done.”

“Well, I don’t know what your quarrel is with her or who ‘her’ refers to. I’m guessing you’re talking about Little Princess. Well, no pressure, you don’t have to be there but it would definitely be useful if you want to be put up to speed. But your buddies can give you a little rundown once it’s over I guess. You still haven’t told me if your throat is in pain by the way.”

Dimitri took a second to rub his neck, feeling some remnants of pain but it was nothing compared to the ache of thirst. “Nothing I can’t handle… But I could use some water.”

“There’s some inside your tent, along with a bunch of rations if you’re hungry. I’ll be over there if you need anything. Maybe see you at the meeting. Take care child.”

And with that the devil turned their heels and hopped away.

Dimitri stayed standing a few more moment, staring in the direction the creature had taken. A gust of wind made him shiver and he finally decided to return inside the tent. His people were still asleep soundly and he did his best not to wake them up as he approached the little pile of rations and water bottles put haphazardly in the middle of the tent. He quietly picked a random bottle and started chugging it as quietly as possible despite his parched throat.

“Your Highness ?”

Not quiet enough.

“You need not to worry, Dedue. You can go back to sleep if you desire so. I am guessing you neglected your sleep to watch over me.”

“I wish not to sleep any longer, your Highness. How do you feel ?”

Dimitri sighed. No point arguing. “I’m fine, Dedue. No need to fret.”

“And your throat ?”

The Prince glanced at him with a mildly annoyed air on his face.

“Mine ached severely after pulling that thing out of it… The small one gave me some healing medicine for the injury. I saved some for you.” explained the Fortress Knight handing over a little vial of magic infused magic.

The blond sighed and took it in his hand. The greenish liquid swirled on its own in the bottle as if moved by its own will. It appeared to be half empty already, at least Dedue had taken some of it for himself. But to be honest Dimitri suspected he had drunk some to make sure it was not poison more than actually to soothe his aches. He looked back at his vassal and took a swing of it. The liquid crawled inside his throat and pooled around the injury, little claws stitching the wound back together before vanishing as if it had never been there to start with.

“This appeared to be… potent. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

“This is the least I could do. I overheard you talk to someone outside the tent. Was it...”

One of his ghosts ? “Dusty. The little… horned creature. The one who put me to sleep. They told some sort of meeting would be called in the morning and we were invited to go.”

Dedue seemed relieved for a moment, almost letting out a sigh. “I see. Will you go ?”

“I’ll consider it… Will you go, Dedue ?”

“If your Highness wills it.”

The blond looked down, his blue eye settling on his scarred hands. “When will you call me Dimitri ?” he whispered.

“Your Highness ?”

“Nothing. Let’s just catch some rest until the meeting is called.”

The sun slowly warmed up the tent, the Blue Lions stirring awake one by one, all pleased to see their leader awake and well and attempting to make some small talk but visibly unsettled by the fact he actually seemed responsive to their banter. Dimitri tried to keep up but the looks of confusion and excitement in their eyes wounded him and soon the Prince crawled back into his silent self. It was better this way.

Soon enough things were back to normal with him sulking aside and Dedue alone tolerated by his side while the rest chattered amongst themselves. Someone tapped the flap of the tent and an unknown voice spoke. “Guys ? We’re going to meet up soon. Would be nice if y’all came.”

“Sure Voice, we’ll be right there.” replied Sylvain with a pleased smile. The shadow outside the tent nodded and walked away.. “That’s one of the mercenaries we told you about, your Highness. Her name’s Voiceless. She’s kinda weird looking but real nice.”

Dimitri grumbled his acknowledgement but made no gesture to move from his spot.

“… Well, I guess I’ll go. Felix, Ashe, mind tagging along ? Want to come too, girls ?”

“Yes, I want to know what’s going on.” said Ingrid getting up to her feet. Annette and Mercedes also agreed and rose to their feet.

“I shall stay then.”

“No, Dedue. You’re going with them.” retorted Dimitri dryly.

“Are you certain ?”

“Yes…. I want to be alone anyway.”

His vassal observed him for a few seconds then bowed. “Very well. I will give you a full report of the situation once I return.”

The Prince mumbled his acknowledgement, laying back down onto his beddings. His Blue Lions left together, Felix complaining about his boarish behaviour, not even trying to keep his voice down. And once again, Dimitri was surrounded with silence.

But it didn’t last long as the shadows took the shape of his ghosts.

**Why aren’t you out there, Dimitri ?**

**Why aren’t you avenging us, Dimitri ?**

**Why aren’t you killing her, Dimitri ?**

**She’s right here, Dimitri.**

**Do you not care about the peace of our soul, Dimitri ?**

**Are you really that cruel, Dimitri ?**

**Do you not care, Dimitri ?**

**Are you really So selfish, Dimitri ?**

**Are you scared, Dimitri ?**

**Are you a coward, Dimitri ?**

**Are you weak, Dimitri ?**

**We cannot rest, Dimitri.**

**Dimitri. Dimitri. We need you to put us to rest, Dimitri. Why aren’t you putting us to rest, Dimitri. Dimitri. Dimitri. Coward. Weak. Failure. Worthless. Miserable. Weak. Weak. WEAK. WEAK !**

The Prince tried to keep the voices out, pressing his hands against his ears but the ghosts did not care for his miserable attempt at keeping their pleas at bay.

“No… Please… I have not forgotten… I promise. I promise I’ll get you your revenge. I promise. She will die… She will die, I swear. I promise. I promise… I’ll put you to rest… Please… Please, let me be...” cried the blond, clenching his messy locks, trying to soothe the furious wraiths screeching in his ears and the searing pain drilling inside his skull through his eye sockets.

“Someone here ?” called a gruff voice outside the tent. A dark hand similar to Dedue’s pushed the flap open and a large man peeked inside. “You in pain, kid ?”

“Who… Who are you ?” huffed Dimitri pushing himself to sit up.

The man ignored his glare and sat in front of him with his leg crossed. “Domitius. Dusty’s brother. You okay ?”

“...’m fine. You’re the devil’s brother ?”

Domitius rose an eyebrow. “They’re not a devil. They’re a pooka. Not the same thing. What’s going on ?”

Dimitri blinked in confusion, he never heard that word but he was tired, and the ghosts were howling. “What are you talking about ?”

“I heard you crying or something when I walked by. You got a headache ? Happens to me sometimes when Dusty puts me to sleep.”

“I wasn’t… Wait, your sibling uses this spell on you as well ?”

The large man shrugged and scratched his thick beard. Dimitri noticed the tip of his fingers were not ended by nails but ink black claws. “Yeah. I get real bad nightmares, insomnia, that kind of stuff. If I don’t sleep enough I start to hallucinate and shit, can become dangerous. So they use the spell to help but it’s heavy stuff. I often get headaches and migraines afterwards.”

Dimitri looked at the man,  a strange feeling tingling in the back of his mind. “...You … You have nightmares too ?”

Domitius shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah. Bad stuff. I don’t… I can’t always talk about it. Not today.”

“…Yes, I … I get this. Don’t… don’t feel obligated to say anything… You said something about the headaches ?”

The large man perked up and nodded. “Aye. Are you having these right now ? I got  pills to help. Want to pop one ?”

The blond shook his head. “No… I think I’ve had my share of experiments today.”

The mercenary did not seem to take offence and shrugged. “Fair.”

Dimitri waited, expecting the man to rise up and leave but Domitius just made himself more comfortable, looking around and… sniffing ? But not talking, merely observing his surroundings or more exactly looking away from Dimitri.

“What are you doing ?”

“Uh ?” said the tall man turning his golden eyes to Dimitri.

“That. Why are you still here ? Shouldn’t you go at this meeting like everybody else ?”

Domitius shrugged again, his heavy shoulders rolling under his long coat. “I’m not good at uh… being surrounded by lots of people. Figured I’d just hang with whomever stayed behind or wait for Gallus.”

The blond scoffed. “And I’m all you found ?”

“Yep.”

Dimitri winced at the blunt honesty but the mercenary did not seem to be very good at reading social cues and he would not be in any position to criticise. The silence resumed, Domitius back at his observation. His presence slightly enervated the Boar Prince, his breathing, no matter how light it was, was loud enough to cover the voice of his ghosts. And his behaviour disturbed him greatly. It was very different from Dedue’s watchful presence. As if he was purposefully ignoring his existence and yet intruding in his space. Like some aloof dog awkwardly standing around an unknown human.

The Prince remained quiet for a moment, observing the stranger making himself cozy on Felix’ spot which seemed to have the most pleasant smell. After a few second of inefficient glaring he looked down at his hands. Without his thick leather gloves he could see all the scars covering his body, his eyes stopped on the long straight scar between his middle and index finger almost running all the way to his wrist. An injury he got trying to protect his frail neck from the blow of the axe which would have severed his head from his child body like it did his father back in Duscur.

_Nightmare_

His body tensed as the phantom pain pulsed in his hand and the side of the neck, flashes of red and flames, shadows laughing mockingly at his bleeding and seemingly dying body. Maybe he did die that day. He should have died that day. Too many people died that day. Good people. More deserving of a life than him.

**She is mocking you, Dimitri.**

**She never cared about you, Dimitri.**

**She has been planning this all along, Dimitri.**

**She caused this, Dimitri.**

**All of this, Dimitri.**

**You need to take her head like she took mine, Dimitri.**

**Why aren’t you taking her down, Dimitri ?**

**We want you to kill her, Dimitri.**

**We want-**

“Kid ? You okay, kid ?”

The blond jolted, staring at the man who was now laying on his back and looking at him placidly. How dared he interrupted the words of his loved ones.

“Why do you care ?” snapped the boar dryly.

The mercenary shrugged. Was he doing that every time he spoke ? “Don’t know. You look hurt.”

The Prince clenched his jaw, glaring daggers at Domitius but the colossus of a man did not seemed to be affected by the evil stare of one-eyed man. He groaned and glared back at the floor. But the golden eyes did not leave his hunched over form but unlike the usual looks of worry or fearful disgust his eyes held no trace of judgement.

And Dimitri was excellent at enduring restless assaults. But found himself defenceless facing the patient kindness. His walls slowly crumbled, and words started pouring out.

“Bad memories… I was… I’m the only survivor of the Tragedy of Duscur. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. My entire family… most of my friends… a lot of good people died that day… protecting me… killed before my eyes. They haunt me ever since.”

“The memories or the people ?”

Dimitri paused, unsure of how much he could confess to a complete stranger… and yet, his soul cried under the weight of unspoken words, words kept burrowed for nearly ten years now. “… Both. I get… flashes and ever since their ghosts have never left my side. They beg for revenge, to be put to rest. Having her so close makes them restless.”

“Her ?” asked Domitius tilting his head to the side.

“Edelgard.” snarled Dimitri, hands clenching into fists as the poison of her name bit into his mouth. “She was responsible for everything. She killed them ! She killed them as if she had held the sword herself ! Her own blood-mother… My father who had sheltered her… Glenn who kept her company alongside me… she almost had Dedue and myself killed ! She even started this war and has ravaged Fodlan for five years ! And I-… I want to put an end to this madness. To her madness ! The rest doesn’t matter. I am but a tool for the dead… For all the lives she claimed… Then the ones I took can claim me afterwards. I will not run from my sins like she did. I won’t… I don’t deserve their mercy...”

Domitius had sat up, listening in complete silence patiently. Waiting a moment in silence before sliding before sliding next to his side and just… staying there.

“Are you not going to say something ?”

“I am not good with words. Would you like me to try anyway ?”

“… Please.”

The mercenary waited a moment, scratching the back of his neck. “Nothing I can say can make it go away. This pain… it’s yours. And maybe it will never go away. But… it doesn’t have to be that bad. It might be difficult to get started but it hurts less when you are not shouldering it alone.”

“I cannot accept anyone carrying it but me.” hissed Dimitri.

Domitius shrugged. “I thought so too. Turns out, you get a lot more shit done with a buddy by your side. And with a mate nearby… the weight is a little less noticeable, the pain more bearable…”

“You know of this...”

The mercenary turned his heavy head and the blond saw this shadow clouding his eyes. “I bore my burden. They are not your enemies, they just want you around. Don’t make my mistakes.”

The Prince held his glance in silence, sharing this fleeting moment of understanding with the giant before his azure eye wandered towards the loose flap of the tent before returning to his visitor.

“You go, kid. I’ll be fine.”

Dimitri nodded and rose to his feet. “You’re more skilled with words than you give yourself credit for.”

Domitius shrugged with an elusive smile mostly covered by his thick beard. And like that Dimitri was gone.

* * *

No one in the room, including his own Blue Lions, had expected Dimitri to barge into the room and take an empty seat without a single word. The heavy tension and wary eyes all riveted to his person instantly made him regret his decision to come so the blond crossed his arms and glare a hole in the table to avoid any form of eye contact. No turning back now.

“You came ! Great ! I guess we’re all here then. And don’t worry, Dimitri, you didn’t miss much. Our new friends just had the time to introduce themselves and the work they do but I’m sure you’ll catch up fairly quickly !” exclaimed Claude with a radiant smile.

The easy-going attitude of the Alliance leader immediately soothed the tension and if Dimitri was not completely overwhelmed he would be hugging Claude… or at least thanking him. In fact he should do that… later.

“Don’t worry, child. I’ve already introduced myself earlier so there won’t be much catching up to do,” added Dusty, the pooka, he recalled. “So, back into the nitty gritty. Voiceless and I did a little bit of research on the few markers you gave us. We’ve already had a chat with a few of you so I suspect word has gotten around and most of you are already aware of what we think is happening. So, I’m very sorry to say that neither of the locations you’ve given us the name of exist in our world. There’s no continent named Fodlan or countries such as Faerghus, The Leicester Alliance, or the Adrestian Empire. No town named Enbarr, Fhirdiad, we did find a Derdriu but it’s a lost little village that is nowhere near the ocean. The list goes on but it goes without saying, I believe the place you all come from does not exist in our world.”

Sylvain muttered some swears under his breath and Dimitri tensed. His Kingdom was gone, swallowed into unreachable depths. He should not care that much, he did not intend to live long enough to rule but the prospect of it missing sent a cold chill down his spine. Someone touched his hand under the table and gave it a firm, comforting squeeze. The Prince looked up to see Dedue, still focused on the discussion, but nonetheless offering his never-ending support in silence.

“Are you absolutely certain ? Did you double check ? What about Gloucester County ? Could it be that your people have not discovered Fodlan yet ?” insisted Lorenz anxiously.

Claude rolled his eyes at Lorenz only asking about Gloucester terrirory.

The pooka shook their head. “I’m afraid our world has been fully explored for centuries or maybe even a millennium. We even have pictures of it taken from the sky. An entire continent going unnoticed does not seem very likely.”

Whispers fused across the table in a nervous mix of disbelief and resignation. Dedue’s hand returned to his and stayed there.

“I’ve been working on the data we pulled from this facility you were held in. I’ve only scratched the surface yet but what I could decipher does suggest that they were researching dimensional travel to some extend. It should take a few more days to crack the rest of the files but I’ll keep you all updated on my progress.” explained a strange woman with an eye of black and gold, strange but not exactly like Solon’s and odd features that resembled nothing the Prince had ever seen like her ears and her strange golden markings. Weird, but besides that she could be considered objectively attractive so Dimitri deduced she must be the Voiceless Sylvain had mentioned earlier.

“So that’s true. We are indeed in a world different from our own.” calmly stated Linhardt, the scholar being surprisingly attentive and most importantly awake for the discussion.

“That’s our conclusion, yes. The most logical one at least.” confirmed Voiceless.

A long pause followed but this time no one dared to whisper as they weighted the implications of the situation they found themselves in.

“As much as I’d like to give you some time to digest and think about the situation, I do have one more question for you, children,” started Dusty, pulling two little transparent cylinders holding some sort of stone spheres inside and handing them to the group. “Does any of you know what those are ?”

Dimitri perked up, curious. He was not particularly good at reading people but the pooka’s tone had audibly shifted, enough for him to pick up the guarded strain in their voice. The two boxes had been sent on each side of the table for everyone to look at and Dimitri snatched the one coming the second it was within arm’s reach to take a glance at it and frowned.

“That’s a Crest Stone… Gloucester I think.” grumbled the blond rolling the cylinder back to the pooka without a care for those who had not yet taken a look at it. Better stay away from those anyway.

“Crest Stone, uh ? I’m guessing the other one is too ?”

“Yes… Crest of Flames. How did you get your hands on those ?” asked Claude. Dimitri glanced at him, noticing his aggressivity and his hand clenched tightly on the cylinder in his hand.

“I could ask you the same question. Because this means a lot of trouble for us. Those are not just pretty rocks or whatever to us. Those are dried dragon hearts. And given how we found them… well, everything about this run is calling for a lot more trouble than we expected.”

“Dried dragon… wait, wait, wait, don’t change the topic ! Where did you find those ?” snapped Claude, shaking the box and making the sphere inside tingle angrily.

Dusty made a little gesture of their fingers and the cylinder slipped out of Claude’s hand and flew into theirs. “I am bound not to reveal how unless given permission. Which hasn’t been the case yet.”

“No, no, you’re not side stepping your way out of this. How did you-...”

“Claude ! Please… it’s okay. The Crest stone of Gloucester was found inside of me. That was the thing making me sick earlier. And… And the reason for my shortened lifespan I told you about. Don’t take it out on Dusty. They only helped me.” explained Lysithea, the young woman pale and shaking at the remainder. Marianne kindly pressed her hand between the youngest one’ shoulder blades.

The Alliance Leader froze for a second before looking at his gremory general with deep concern. “Lysie...”

“I’m fine. Please, Dusty. Can you tell us more.”

Dimitri squinted his eyes at her. Not missing that the presence of the Crest of Flames had not been revealed yet.

“Well, sadly I was hoping you could tell me more and not the other way around. I can tell those are dragon hearts only because I know of them in theory, through books. Those are extremely dangerous to have around. Dragons protect those furiously and just getting rid of them is going to be a pain in the ass. So any explanation could be of great help.”

“Well, Crest stones are a part of Relics, ancient weapons that can only be activated by people bearing a Crest. I bear a minor Crest of Cethelann,” explained Linhardt summoning his Crest forward. The sigil appeared but somewhat blurred, unsteady, like it did not belong here. “Since we arrived here my Crest has been behaving strangely, the other people I asked also tell me the same thing is happening to them. So I’m guessing us being in another world is disturbing them. Some of us have Crests, all different than mine. However I do not know how Crests connect to dragons.”

Dusty hummed. “Well, looks like we’ll have to look it up ourselves, I suppose. I’m not going to go poking you to find out how it connects. Besides, this is not my priority. Ideally we’ll find how to boot you all back to your place before we can figure this out. And honestly I’d prefer it that way.”

“Speaking of which… What should we do now ?” asked Claude slightly more calm than earlier.

Voiceless rose an eyebrow. “Where are you getting at ?”

The Alliance Leader scratched the side of his head. “I mean, I’m not scoffing at your most pleasant company, after all you’ve been pretty forwarding with everything we’ve asked and beyond. I’m more concerned about everyone else.”

“You mean us. You think we’re going to slaughter you.” scoffed Dimitri with a sneer of disgust. Of course he would. But truly only one person should be worried.

“Well… Kinda, yes. We’re more or less at war. Technically the Alliance hasn’t declared war to anyone, we just want to get by, but we are in conflict, that much is certain. And if one thing Gronder Field has proven is that we are all at each other’s throats and I don’t think it is wise to keep it that way.”

The Prince huffed, irritated, but Claude had a point. “I have no qualms with you. There’s only one person I want.”

The Barbossa winced. “Well, that’s the thing, Dimitri. I’ll need you to put aside your… hostility towards Edelgard for now.”

Dimitri glared daggers at Claude, of course he would defend her. He was a traitor, like everyone else, the dead needed their tribute. Dedue held his hand tighter, grounding him, the one dead that had returned to life, the one wraith who begged him to keep on living and find happiness, the one ghost that felt warm and only spoke in kind words.

“Come on, Dimitri ! Look at our situation ! We are in a remote world ! We know nothing of this place, no resource, people we know nothing about who want to get something out of us and besides out gracious friends here we have nothing ! Plus from what I already understand returning to our world might not even be possible ! We have to team up, here ! And that goes for you too, Edelgard. Whatever beef you have with all of us, which logic goes far beyond my comprehension, you must put it aside for the moment being. If you too still feel like fighting it out once we have returned to Fodlan be my guests, but until then we need to work together !”

“Yeah, we’re definitely not going to be able to help you all out if you’re just snapping at each other. I’d hate to have Gallus poison some of you again.” noted Voiceless with a mildly indifferent shrug, her eyes coldly calculating as she spoke.

Dimitri gritted his teeth. The ghostly presences behind his back stirred furiously but their voices were deafened by Claude’s commanding roar and Dedue’s warm palm wrapped around his shaking fingers. A tense pause stretched, only disturbed by the blond’s teeth clicking angrily until his patience ran out. “The dead must have their tribute. I won’t rest until they are satisfied.”

“I got that. I’m only asking for you to _wait_.”

The blond snorted, as if they hadn’t waited for ten long years already. And the list of dead begging for release only grew longer as Edelgard kept rampaging.

“Fine… Dimitri. Let’s put aside our dispute for now. If you crave it so much I’ll give you the occasion to battle me once we have returned to Fodlan. But for the sake of both our people, just pretend I do not exist and we will be all the better.”

The Prince snarled, standing up in ire, his azure eye locking on the young woman. How dared she speak as if this barely concerned her ?! She had started this ! Started everything ! Dedue stood as he did, pressing his hands to his shoulders to contain his fury.

He had expected her to have this haughty attitude, shoulders squared, head high and baring her pale neck as if she thought no one could get her. But she just looked… tired. Bags under her eyes, head low, shoulders slumped down. No doubt a ruse but… The sight still bothered him. She no longer wore that crimson red clothing stained with the blood of his loved ones, but this ridiculous tank top they all were fitted with, baring a lot more scars than he had expected to see. More importantly, she did not even hold eye contact.

He observed her for longer than would be proper but he no longer cared for etiquette, not when he could just lunge above the table and strike her down. End it all… But right now it wouldn’t, would it ?

The blond sat back in his chair, following Dedue’s guidance. The ghosts roared, begging, pleading… but the living was still here. And depending on his cooperation. He hissed, tearing his eye from her silhouette. “Fine. As long as she goes nowhere near me or my people… I will not kill her. Is that sufficient ?”

Dusty clapped their hands enthusiastically, breaking the gloomy ambiance that had taken roots with their excited giggle. “That’s great ! Perfect ! Now that this all is settled and we’ve all been somewhat enlightened all we have to do is get on the move. Camping is fun but it gets old pretty fast. I think we should be ready to leave soon after noon. I think Gallus must be back now so hopefully he has dropped some new clothing for you all in your tents. We’ll leave you to it until we’re ready to go. That concludes the meeting, children ! Thank you for coming, we’ll be here until we’re ready if you need anything !”

Dimitri just hummed low under his breath and stood up. Not waiting for anyone before storming outside. Dedue quickly reacted and was already on his heels before he could even reach the door. Dimitri briefly looked to his vassal as he returned to their tent and noticed the thin smile on his lips.

“What is it, Dedue ?”

The Fortress Knight smiled more visibly. “I’m glad you came, your Highness. I think it boosted the morale to have you around… It certainly boosted mine.”

The Prince huffed. Now that Dedue was back at his side… the pain did seem a little more bearable.

* * *

“So we have no idea. No idea at all ?”

Seteth sighed. In the past two weeks Byleth has been hounding him restlessly while Beres handled the massive panic that had followed the unexplained occurrence in Gronder Field. “No, Byleth. We’ve combed the entire area, investigated the entire region, Hanneman and Manuela are also doing their best analysing the area but we still have no idea of what happened.”

The mercenary hissed, all three leaders of the main warring Factions had been an eventuality of course, those are the possibilities of war. But the disappearance of a large part of them in a divine ring of doom was an entire different thing entirely. The thing that infuriated Byleth the most however was how both her and Beres had been the only ones to come out unscathed besides a killer migraine.

Seteth watched her glare through the window of the war room before breaking the silence. “How about you ? Do you really have no idea what happened ?”

“If you pull an Hanneman on me and ask me if it is some secret power of the crest of Flames I’ll beat you up.”

The older man pinched the bridge of his nose with a frustrating sound. The green-haired woman had been on edge ever since her ex-students had all vanished and somehow he suspected the one she was the most upset about… was Edelgard. The wyvern rider was aware of her affection for the Flame Emperor, which had resulted in him discreetly ordering his spies to keep an eye on her during this whole war but as it turns out her loyalty to her twin brother had been stronger than the sway of her unbeating heart.

“Have you talked to Lord Rodrigue yet, Byleth ?”

“Asked Beres to do it. Want me to check ?”

“Please do. We need to ally with the remnants of the Kingdom army. The confusion should be working in ou favour if we are fast enough.”

She scoffed. Of course this was the right thing to do, but this was not what _she_ wanted to do. She stormed out of the room without looking back and made her way straight to the Knight’s Hall where Beres was talking to Rodrigue in front of the fireplace. Gilbert was there as well, standing behind the Fraldarius Duke. The Holy Knight noticed her walking in and smiled brightly.

“Oh, Byleth ! Are you coming to join the discussion ?”

She shrugged. “I guess. How are your troops doing ?”

“Well, morale is low with Prince Dimitri’s disappearance but the Alliance’s support and your brother’s accommodations are helping us keep our heads high. We will honour his memory by reconquering Fhirdiad.”

She clicked her tongue. He spoke as if all the people gone were already dead but before she could snap at him Beres spoke up. “This is the least we can do, Duke Rodrigue. Do you believe taking Fhirdiad would secure the rest of Kingdom’s troops to our side ?”

Blessed be her baby brother but she hated when he did that.

“Certainly. Without his Highness the troops currently present would be willing to join you right away but I’m concerned news of him vanishing would seal Cornelia’s pledge to the Empire. Time is the essence.”

The young man clad in the archbishop’s clothing nodded. “Yes, I believe so too. I will see which troops we can spare. Count Gloucester and Duke Goneril have pledged more troops to our cause, I am certain they would agree to dispatch them with Kingdom forces to avenge Prince Dimitri. I think either me or my sister could join you while the other secures our foothold in the Empire.”

Rodrigue beamed. “Marvelous ! I’ll spread the word to the rest of the loyalists. Margrave Gautier will be delighted to hear the Church and Alliance will be assisting us. Please, come see us at our camp once you have made your decision.” He rose, promptly bowed, flooding Beres with politeness and feet-kissing praise before waltzing outside with Gilbert in tow.

“Can’t believe this dude just lost his last living son in a celestial catastrophe. He looks peppier than Flayn holding a live fish.”

Beres snorted at the analogy but the noise was much closer to nervous laughter than actual amusement. Byleth knew quite well her twin’s smiles were hollow ever since the Battle of Gronder. The young archbishop rose, his airy white and gold robes falling gracefully around his stature. “I suppose we all cope with grief differently. How are you holding up ?”

She looked at him dead in the eye. “We’re alone, Beres. Quit the Rhea impression.”

He looked behind her then back to her hard face and the facade crumbled. The swordmaster threw her arms around her brother’s shoulders and pulled him in a tight hug, hiding his tears from the rest of the world. He hiccuped against her chest, clinging to the fabric of her mercenary attire.

“Shhhhh, let it out. That’s good… They are alive. I just know it. I can feel it in my chest. We’ll find them, I swear.”

“I just… _hic…_ I can’t help but feel as if we have caused this… What if-...”

“Cut it with the ‘ifs’ ! Don’t let Hanneman get to your head ! Crests aren’t the reason why the Sun rises and sets and we did not cause this ! We did not get taken just because we were on the Central Hill plateform, that’s all ! You did not kill them and I’ll prove it !” roared the mercenary squeezing her brother harder.

He whined as air was pressed out of his lungs but he did not fight the bearish display of affection. He sobbed a little longer but soon he relaxed in the embrace. “We need to start working then. Did you talk to Seteth ?”

She let go of her brother and scoffed. “Yeah. If he knows anything he doesn’t seem willing to spit it out. It’s not like Flayn or Rhea was at Gronder. Otherwise I bet he’d be digging a hole to find where they all went as we speak.”

Beres chuckled, brushing his tears out of his eyes. “I guess he would. Have Manuela or Hanneman returned ?”

“Nah. Don’t worry, I’ll handle them. You don’t need Hanneman to get under your skin. You deal with Rodrigue. The guy creeps me out but I guess you’re better at dealing with him.”

He shrugged, all back into his archbishop persona. “I suppose so. Could you take a dip into the Abyss Library ? Maybe there’s something to be found in the shadows.”

She gave him a half-smile. “I’ll sneak whatever looks interesting to you. I just need to shrug off Seteth’s spies first. I don’t want to have him sticking to my heels all month because I did something vaguely shady.”

Beres chuckled. “Yes, of course. If he bothers you send him to me. He needs to learn to trust you. Can’t waste precious spying resources just to babysit my trouble-seeking sister, a babysitter would be enough.”

She smacked the back of his head. Shithead.

“Ok, smartass. I’ll head to the Abyss. Be back for dinner, I’ll drop what I find in your room.”

“Understood. Take care, Byleth. I’ll see you later.”

She turned her heels and waved as she exited the Knight’s Hall. Time to get back on track, the students were not going to be waiting in the Darkness forever. She made it in and out once. They will too. She knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to explain here how magic works in this universe even if it is not discussed yet in the story. Either you were born with the ability to do magic from birth (which is a rare occurence) or you make a pact with a powerful magic entity (like a faerie or straight up a divinity).
> 
> Dragons : in this universe dragons (and my hc for most dragons in fiction universe like FE) are nearly immortal. They cannot entirely die unless they want to. Their bodies can be destroyed but the hearts are imposssible to destroy unless the dragon desires to die. The rest of my HCs will be discovered as characters progress into the story so patience :)  
> (unless you don't mind spoiling in which case come yell at me on twitter for having needlessly complicated Hcs)


	5. Sails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group needs to find some place to rest but some things require sacrifices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been told that if you haven't recruited everyone by the time Gronder Field starts some characters should be dead so, for the sake of the story all the students are alive.

Claude had expected to be unexpected to be unsettled by the local fashion.

He had not expected to be given  _ that much choice _ .

A lot more choice than the rest of his Golden Deer. Everyone else in the tent had two, maybe three changes of clothes… but Claude had received nearly a dozen.

When their group had returned from the meeting, wary and slightly confused, they had found little piles of clothing neatly folded with a little note pointing the intended receiver with a nickname such as ‘Bodybuilder’, ‘Fancy Boy’, ‘Tiny’, ‘Pink Princess’ and so on but not Claude. Claude not only had been given a significantly bigger pile of clothing than the rest of his group, he also had been referred to by name.

Lorenz started to profusely complain about the blatant favouritism only to stop whining when Marianne pointed that such an offering might have been an apology for poisoning the Riegan Duke the previous day. The argument somewhat made Lorenz feel guilty enough to stop making a scene and only mumble under his breath about the ‘distasteful looks’ as he changed.

However Claude knew better. The man who bought them those clothes and poisoned him… That man would burn his tongue rather than apologise. He even suspected that the spy would even expect  _ him _ to apologise for having him waste a precious vial of poison. Or even have Claude show gratitude for ‘saving’ him from being assaulted again. Possibly both. And this open gift to him only meant one thing to Claude… He was being courted.

And not in the pleasant or even romantic sense of the word. Rather the contrary.

This man had found interest in him in him in the same way some nobles would flash their slaves or servants. And the very idea made Claude sick in his stomach.

He considered refusing the clothes and sending them back but this would certainly upset the spy and the Alliance leader had no intention to antagonise a potential ally.

He reluctantly dressed up, taking what he guessed was an elegant embroidered purple and golden silk scarf meant to be worn with another set of clothes and arranged it like a sash around his hips instead. The semblance of familiarity gave him a little comfort. Around him the mood was joyful. Everyone was experimenting with the new fashion, exchanging shirts and pants and laughing at the new shapes, patterns, and fabrics. Claude smiled wistfully, wondering if they would be just as happy and receptive the day he would introduce them all to Almyran fashion.

“ Hello, children! Everything going alright in here?” chirped Dusty, interrupting his melancholic train of thoughts.

“ Oh, Dusty! Yes, I believe we’re doing fine. Did you come to check up on us?” greeted the Alliance leader, inviting the pooka inside.

“ Yes, yes! Your neighbours were having some trouble with their clothes and stuff like zippers so I went to see if you had the same problem.” they replied, coming to flop next to him with a large smile.

Claude looked back at his people, still playing around. “I think we’re fine here. But thank you! How about you? How are things going on your side? Have you found a place for all of us to go?”

They winced. Ouch. “Well… things are not going so hot. The safest places are the smallest and our regular and secure spots are intended to shelter like… five people tops with the bare vital minimum. So hosting ourselves plus the two dozens of you… That’s a little more challenging.”

“ From what I understand you’ve been doing this for a while, the rescuing and stuff. Have you never had to handle that many people ?”

“ Oh, we’ve saved a lot more people at once in previous runs for sure! Our personal record is over 200 people! An entire boat of people! Pretty grim, really… But you know, usually we just stay around long enough to ask them where they come from and where they want to go. Then we send them on their way! It doesn’t take that long to do that,” they paused a moment, their reddish eyes showing a spark of irritation. “But in your case we can’t do that. So we can’t lay low and take our post-break rest like usual. That’s a bummer!”

Claude chuckled, patting their shoulder. “Well, sorry for that. Do you have any allies that could be willing to help? You guys must have contacts.”

The pooka wagged left and right for a moment. “We do, but we must really avoid making more people aware of your existence. If you were regular World-walkers we wouldn’t mind, sure, but you are somehow connected to dragon hearts. That might seem like nothing to you, but it’s a super big deal in these parts and definitely a whole lot of trouble.”

“ They were pretty big deals where we come from too,” sighed the Alliance leader. Once again, Crests, the origin of all evil and the cause of lots of pointless noise. “So what are our options?”

“ Hmmm… Well, technically Gallus could shelter us all. He’s wealthy as heck, you know?! But he’s an asshole and won’t do anything without getting something in return so we’re kinda stuck negotiating with him.”

He hummed. Familiar words.

“ Gallus, uh? The guy who brought us the clothes and poisoned me earlier? Maybe… Maybe I could try to talk to him. Plead our cause.”

Dusty frowned. They did not look surprised, like they had expected this, but still looked a little concerned. “Are you certain that is wise ? He is not the kind of person you want to owe anything to.”

“ Yeah. Chatting up terrible entitled people is what I keep my days busy with.”

“ Sounds like fun.”

“ It’s not, but I gotta pretend it is.”

They snorted and bumped his shoulder playfully before returning to a slightly more serious demeanour. “If you really feel like selling your soul to the devil I cannot stop you. But really, be careful. I am not blind and I see he’s interested in you. You seem smart enough to get what you want from him but walk carefully. The price might be a lot higher than you think it is.”

“ Only one way to know.” He rose up to his feet and looked down at the smaller person. “Lead the way?”

They grinned and swiftly jumped to their feet, casually taking his hand and leading him outside.

* * *

“ Are you fucking kidding me, Kelpie? We’re supposed to be working together!”

Gallus smiled smugly and shrugged. “We were working together for the duration of the run. The run is over. I have no further obligation to you. Besides, I already helped by snapping a big load of money on clothes for the whole lot of them. So, I believe I’ve done my load.”

Voiceless gritted her teeth. This dude could be so infuriating sometimes. Especially when he was technically right.

“ Kelpie… listen… You’re the only one of us with the resources to house the whole lot of us. I’m sure you have a shitton of unoccupied safehouses you can lend us until we can figure out a better solution. Come on! I’ll pay you rent or whatever!”

“ I’m not that interested in money, my dear. However I could get you something a little decent if you lose the favour I gave you-...”

She scoffed. “I know better than trade your favour for material goods.”

The elf glared down at the kelpie, the older man so annoyingly in control it only made her blood boil harder. She was close to snapping at the spy when the door opened and Dusty came in with one of the kids in tow.

“ Hey, children! How is it going?” chirped the pooka, breaking the thick tension with their friendly voice.

“ Hey… Claude, is it? What are you doing here?” greeted Voiceless carefully.

Next to her she could feel Gallus radiate with interest.  _ Fuck _ .

“ Ah, well, I thought I could be of use somehow! You know, as a representative of sort.” explained the kid coming to sit in front of the elf and kelpie. He looked awfully relaxed for a man walking in the wolf’s den.

“ My, your insight would certainly be of use, my dear. I’m also glad to see the clothes I picked suit you just fine. Sorry I couldn’t get anything of better quality, I had to content myself with nearby shops.”

Voiceless gritted her teeth. Asshole.

“ So it was you! Thank you so much for your kindness, I’m certain we are all very grateful for them. It truly was so gracious of you to gift us with so much.”

Gallus chuckled, so much praise for his ‘selfless’ deed. “That’s nothing, darling. It truly was my pleasure. However I am afraid this is about how far I can safely help you.”

Claude nodded understandingly. “Ah, yes. Dusty did mention how… complex our situation was. We definitely need someone with exceptional resources to keep us safe and we’ve already asked so much of you, I’m sure we’ll find someone else who can help us out. I’d hate to abuse your kindness.”

Gallus leaned on his elbows, tilting his head. “Yes, absolutely. I’m having so much trouble having people understand that I cannot dilapidate my resources like this, I am glad you get what’s at stake here.” He leaned back on his chair with an easy smile. “It is not so simple hiding the whole lot of you. I also have plenty of other people relying on me. People working for me. It would be unfair, even dangerous I daresay, to sacrifice a space that could protect people taking risks for me. They have earned it, see?”

Claude hummed, scratching his temple. “Yes, yes, I absolutely agree. I would do the same honestly. But if this is all it takes, maybe we can find some agreeable arrangement of sorts? I am aware that we all need some… adjustment time of sorts. But surely we must have some skills that could be of use to you? I am certain we could help each other.”

A flash of pearly white teeth. A spark in his eye. The spy was delighted.

“ Are you certain this is wise, child? You know nothing of this world and what such a bargain could entail,” warned Dusty.

“ Well, I am certain our fair host would not throw me in a situation I’m too ill-informed to handle or where I don’t stand a fighting chance. Not that I don’t believe I can’t handle what’s being thrown at me as long as I’m being given proper intel. But am I wrong?” said the Almyran with a light chuckle.

The kelpie nodded slowly. “You’re not... After all, no one would ever work with me if I was known to mistreat my employees. But you don’t seem like you work alone, yes? How about your people? Or the other two factions?”

“ Well, I can’t speak for anyone’s involvement but mine. I know it is rather presumptuous but do you think I could manage to work enough to secure shelter for everyone? I can discuss my people’s involvement with them if my skills alone are not enough but over all I’d rather not force them into a deal I chose to start.”

“ I see… What a thoughtful leader you are, my dear.”

Claude’s smile seemed guarded but true. “I try to be. So? What do you think?”

Gallus hummed, taking a moment to gauge the young man in front of him. But the Alliance leader had grown accustomed to judging stares and evaluating scowls. After long seconds, the two pairs of green eyes duelling each other, the Kelpie leaned back in his chair with a pleasant smile. “I think we can work out something. Maybe we could discuss this further once your people are installed, yes?”

“ Oh, I think it would be safer to discuss this now if you don’t mind. Make sure we are on the same page before signing any contract, you feel me?”

Gallus laughed, controlled and elegant. “Of course! Of course! Come here, my dear. Dusty, Voiceless, my darlings. Could you give us some space? I’d hate to bore you with business talk.”

“ Of course, of course!” chirped Dusty immediately, grabbing the elf by the arm before she could speak up. “We’ll be right outside helping the children to pack if you need us! See you later!”

The pooka dragged the hacker outside and slammed the door behind them before she could complain and rip their arm free of their hold.

“ Dusty, what the fuck?! Gallus clearly has a hard-on for the kid and you’re leaving them alone?! Striking a  _ bargain _ ?! He’s going to be eaten alive!”

“ Give the kid some credit. I warned him about Gallus. If I did not think he could get out of here without selling his soul I would not have left them. He’s clever. He’ll make it work somehow.”

The elf spat on the ground. “I’m not the one who’s going to explain his buddies that I let their boss who doesn’t know shit about the fae strike a deal with a  _ Kelpie  _ and end up stuck in indentured slavery!”

The pooka grinned. “You know very little of Gallus clearly. It may not look like it but he’s a team player. If the child had tried to sell his people or to gain protection only for his peeps and leave the rest out of the deal Gallus would have been merciless. He’s going to be fine out there. I just hope he’s just as fast of a learner as he claims to be. Gallus doesn’t take small contacts.”

* * *

Gallus drove a hard bargain, but his arguments were sound. And unlike the nobles of the Alliance who had more resources than they could spend at their disposal just by sitting on their asses and flashing their Crests, Gallus actually had to run his business. He had a surprisingly vast array of possible safehouses, but safehouses that could hold thirty-people used to high levels of comfort were a lot rarer… and expensive.

He could not see Edelgard accepting to bunk up with everyone else or Dimitri agreeing to share common space with Edelgard or any of her Black Eagles. He knew he could trust his Golden Deers to behave. But Edelgard and Dimitri… or even Hubert? Not so much.

In the end he settled on taking two jobs a week. Just errands and assistance jobs at first so he could get a hang of the ropes before jumping into the fire. In exchange Gallus granted them a safehouse big enough for all of them to have their personal rooms… or more exactly a safe  _ boat _ . Claude had been unsure at first since even the biggest boats of Derdriu and Almyra could not hold so many people comfortably but he had seen weirder things since he got there.

Gallus explained that here travelling far away on the sea was near impossible due to a great dragon sinking every ship, but they would be able to move along the coast. Just in case they needed to disappear. At least Claude would feel comfortable on a boat.

After deciding on a first few jobs Gallus started making arrangements and the Alliance leader was left to his own devices. Hilda and Lorenz immediately started scolding him for playing lone wolf and taking such a risk but Leonie intervened in his favour.  _ At least he’s trying to do something instead of just lamenting and expecting everyone to do things for him! If you really are worried you should be trying to help! _

Blessed be this woman.

They didn’t have much more time to argue because soon they were urged to pack up and climb into a new truck towards their new temporary housing. At least this truck had seats to accommodate them, unlike the previous one, but it still had no windows and feeling the road bump at high speed without seeing the road made him feel awfully nauseous. Just like his first trip from Almyra to Derdriu. Unlike the first trip he did not have the intense confusion and severe poisoning to make the road less of a problem. And by the time they reached their destination he was pretty certain he was as pale as a ghost.

But the sight upon jumping out of the truck just smacked the nausea out of him.

“ All Gods above...”

Towers stretching beyond his wildest imagination. Their bodies covered in shiny scales, blinking and flashing wildly like mad stars. Birds of black metal patrolling the streets, adorned with flashy war paintings and glowing eyes. Claude knew he was bound to be surprised but the sight was downright overwhelming. And from the gasps and whistles he could hear in the back of his mind he was not the only one.

“ Children? The harbour is just behind. We’d better visit the city once we are all settled, yes?” called Dusty, tapping his shoulder to bring them out of their stunned staring.

Claude nodded, slowly turning around, struggling to peel his eyes from the titanic sights. “Yeah, yeah, we just don’t have anything like that where we come-… Oh for Fuck’s sake!”

The harbour was not any less ridiculous. Some boats no bigger than those barques used to sail on a lake but sleek in design and some others utterly gigantic. The biggest one looked just as big as the Riegan estate if not more. Just how huge could boats here be? How large would be their own? That was absolutely ridiculous.

“ Uh… say, Dusty. How many people can those huge boats host? Just out of sheer curiosity ?”

The pooka tilted their head and hummed. “I dunno… a few thousand maybe ? I think the biggest one in the world can carry a lil more than six thousand. Expensive as hell though. The Sea Dragon Queen does not let many ferries pass through so… Ask Gallus, he does those trips sometimes for missions, maybe he went on the biggest cruise ship. Honestly it must be boring as heck. Spending a month at sea does not seem super cool. You can’t even go diving!”

The pooka started complaining about their distaste for boredom and how they didn’t like slow trips while Gallus just steered their groups further into the harbour. The Alliance leader considered joining him for a chat but Dorothea had his attention at the moment, marvelling about the boats. Knowing her she was more possibly flirting with someone she had pegged as wealthy and possibly single. Honestly he didn’t feel like putting himself in the middle, and Dorothea was smart enough to keep her distance from a spy he hoped.

“ Claude!” called Ignatz, bringing Raphael in tow. “Do you know which of these boats is ours? It all seems so… big. Even in Derdriu I never saw boats this large...”

“ No, Ignatz. I don’t know yet which boat is ours. I wouldn’t get my hopes up though. I did not bargain for something exceptional. I am just one man and even though I am exceptionally skilled I doubt my talents are worth a floating castle.”

“ Oh, Goddess, no! I’m hoping we won’t get the huge ones. I’d be too scared to get lost inside… Or find myself alone with an enemy. I would be terrified. If it’s one of the smaller ones I’d feel much better.”

“ It’s okay, Ignatz! I won’t leave you alone! No one can get through me!” roared Raphael proudly.

Claude chuckled. Gallus stopped on the pier and started showing one of the boats to Dorothea, who gasped in admiration. The Alliance leader peeked to see what Gallus was showing. The boat was still the size of a small three mast boat, bigger than most of the boats of the harbour but much, much smaller than the cruise ships. A sleek design, like a dark onyx arrowhead. Smooth and sharp, with a long deck that could hold all of them and two levels. Claude started to hear Gallus’ voice presenting the yacht to his lovely company.

“ -can open for a swimming pool. Oh, I’m certain you’ll love it, the floor of the lower level is made of glass. It’s like the ocean is your own private aquarium. And if you don’t like being observed by the fish you can opacify it with a command in your room -I’ll show you of course-”

The spy and the dancer kept chatting. Gallus had let go of the ship topic and was back on focusing on Dorothea herself. The interest the kelpie showed her swayed her closer to him and Claude started to worry she might have got herself entangled in his honeyed words.

The group approached the ship but before they could board it a tall woman, easily the height of Raphael, came out on the deck and walked down to the pier. Her head was turned towards Gallus, utterly ignoring the rest of them as if they didn’t even exist. She was elegantly dressed, a long dark robe adorned with silver jewellery of snakes, the shiny circlets slightly dissimulating her powerful build. Her traits were hard but finely chiselled, and Claude thought for a second that she wore some sort of jewellery in her mouth before realising it was not jewels coming out of her mouth  _ but tusks _ .

“ Welcome back, boss,” greeted the woman with her low voice.

“ Good day, Gorgon. I trust everything is ready?”

She nodded. “Of course. May I take my leave now?”

He smiled, gesturing at them to make way for her and the confusion provoked by the uncanny sight made everyone comply. “Please do. I know you have work. I’m so grateful you lent me a hand on such short notice.”

She mouthed something that looked like ‘my pleasure’ and walked through the small crowd as if she owned the entire harbour. Claude realised that Edelgard walked like that.

“ Who was that?” asked Dorothea with a pinch of jealousy in her tone as she pulled on the spy’s arm with the cutest pout.

“ This is Gorgon. One of my employees. I had her bring the yacht here and make sure you would be stocked for a couple of days. Don’t worry, my dear, I know better than frolic with a runner like her.”

The answer seemed to soothe the singer who finally followed Gallus on board and asked questions about his work and employees, but he cleverly dodged them and redirected the conversation on her as he gave their group a tour. The boat in itself was splendid, clearly a luxury. But Claude felt very uneasy knowing the Empire, the Kingdom, and the Alliance would have to mingle on a daily basis. If he was naive he would tell himself that it would be like their days at the Academy. But at the Academy Edelgard had not single-handedly crushed all attempts at diplomacy between their three nations by waging war.

“ We’ll have to organise for chores, your Highness. Would you like me to bring the matter up with the Alliance and the Empire people?” asked Dedue to his lord in a whisper.

“ I don’t care. I do not intend to come out of my room or meet with any of them,” retorted the Prince dryly.

Claude felt his heart ache. Was the sweet and polite blond he had come to know five years ago really gone?

He looked discreetly towards Edelgard. Hubert had also realised that they would be forced to mingle but his strategy seemed to be a lot more autarchic than Dedue’s (staying in their rooms all day and coming out only at night, really ?). Edelgard sighed and shook her head. Too bad, Hubert. Even Edelgard can grow tired of your gloomy antics. The main room was quite large and the windows were made of tinted glass, as if the dusk never set and could last an entire day. A long table was slotted inside the floor and a command could bring it up, hich was probably handy when hosting balls and parties.

Gallus showed them the large kitchens, well furnished and well stocked as promised. Ashe commented on the usefulness of the cold room to keep the food fresh longer and joined Dorothea at the spy’s side all the time he took explaining the uses of the various devices around.

Next came the discreet nook hidden in a wall between the kitchen and the living room. “This one is a saferoom. In case someone needs to hide or you need to store not so legal items. But I hardly think you can all fit in there. Unless you squeeze yourself really hard. Best thing would be to sail away if you need to disappear.”

And finally the rooms. Claude had to admit, he did not regret making a deal with the Kelpie upon seeing the lower level. The corridor was lowly lit, blue lights coming from the floor, but the most stunning was under their feet. The ground was entirely made with a thick layer of glass, fish swimming peacefully as they walked above them. The Alliance leader immediately walked further into the corridor, tapping the glass with his heel. Hard as diamond.

“ Oh, don’t worry, darling. This glass is thick enough to withstand an explosion or crash against a reef, so you can walk safely. I wouldn’t dare give you an unsafe safehouse.” teased the spy with a wink.

“ Damn, please tell me the rooms are the same!” chirped Claude excitedly.

Gallus chuckled and waved at a door. “Why don’t you check for yourself, my dear ?”

The Alliance leader let out an excited giggle and dashed through the first door to his left.

“ Yes! Hilda! Hilda, come and see! The bedrooms look so cool!”

The pink haired woman whined, clinging to Marianne’s sleeves miserably. “Claude, pleeeeeease… Do you really have to be so excited about this, I’m scaaaaaared...”

Claude jumped back out, grabbing his best friend by the arm and dragging her along. “Come on! You have to see this!”

“ Eeeeeeeeeeek!  _ CLAUDE _ !”

“ Come on, Hilda! The beds are so huge! Look!“

She stumbled uneasily, still afraid at the idea that the floor could disappear under her feet, almost jumping on her leader’s back to avoid cracking the glass with her high-heels. The bedroom too had floor lighting but some small bright lights illuminated the room properly. An open door revealed a fully equipped bathroom which, thankfully, did not have a glass floor. A studying nook was built in a corner of the room, a desk surrounded by high shelves to ensure every book would be at arm’s reach. Then, the bed. It was the biggest piece of furniture and it was, indeed,  _ huge _ , held in some cocoon filled with little nooks and crannies to put items in like books and such. No doubt the mattress could host at least three people, four if they cuddled. Maybe Raphael and Dedue would be both able to lay comfortably without touching one another. Damn, it was cool ! Claude felt giddy exploring all the little hidden spots.

“ You can be so childish sometimes, Claude. I wonder how you managed to hold the Alliance together.”

“ With a clever balance of fun and business, my friend. And since I just did my part of business I intend to have some fun now,” replied the Almyran, unlocking yet another secret compartment in the bed frame. How long would it take to find them all?

“ With a clever balance of fun and business, my friend. And since I just did my part of business I intend to have some fun now.” replied the Almyran unlocking yet another secret compartment in the bed frame. How long would it take to find them all ?

Hilda rolled her eyes and carefully walked back to the upper level, Her fearful strut worth a mocking giggle from her best friend.

From the open door Claude could hear various voices commenting on the rooms, Ferdinand loudly marvelling at the clever design of the furniture and how everything was perfectly organised to maximise comfort while using as little room as possible, Linhardt and Caspar caught in a lively fishing debate in the corridor, Lorenz gushing over how soft and comfortable the beds were, Ingrid accidentally giving Sylvain the idea to dive under the boat to spy on girls trying to rebuff him…

Maybe cohabitation would not be so terrible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the exterior design for the yatch has been inspired by The Black Swan but I've been liberal with its size and the interior. I just think it looks cool.
> 
> Also thank you so much to Samarium for proof-reading this chapter. It's been a tough one to write but I'm glad I could finally get it done


	6. The Dreams following your Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is settling in in their new 'home'. Dimitri is not doing so well being in the proximity of Edelgard and Dedue tries to help him

Dedue quietly did the inventory of the food in the kitchens. The second Dimitri made it into one of the unclaimed bedrooms he just hid into the strange bed cocoon and asked him to leave.

Dedue had decided not to insist for now.

His Prince had grown increasingly twitchy and nervous as the day had passed, first in the truck then on the boat, surrounded by too many people for his fragile mind to be at ease. Especially at ease so close to Edelgard.

He was already so proud of Dimitri for not snapping for all the duration of the trip, for tolerating his vassal’s presence so close to him. He knew his King had done so much restraining the violence pulsing inside his chest. Dedue could not fault him for needing some alone time. He too could do with a little less people around.

Back in Fodlan, Dimitri had been keeping everyone at lance’s reach, even Dedue. But ever since this morning’s meeting and until he isolated himself into his room he had been right next to him, even pressing his shoulder against his flank for some silent comfort… just like they used to before Cornelia’s coup.

A wave of rage and resentment washed over him as the memories of Dimitri’s rescue five years came back to the surface. How his golden hair were almost grey as ash from the filth of his cell, his royal clothes torn and covered in grime, his wrists and ankles bleeding from the friction of his shackles, his empty eye socket mangled and swollen where once was held a perfect blue sapphire, forever lost under the ministration of the Royal Court Mage. _Curse this woman_.

“D-Dedue ? You’re going to break the jar !”

The Fortress Knight snapped back to reality, looking down at the pot of condiment between his fingers. Thin cracks had started to split the glass. He looked to the side, to Marianne watching him with a strong expression of concern over her pale features. She had been one of the few people outside of the Blue Lions house that Dimitri liked to spend time with. A rare boon.

“Apologies. I was lost in my thoughts and did not realise what I was doing.”

He set the jar down, he still had no idea of what it contained but it hardly mattered.

“I see… Do you need to rest for a moment ? It has been a very long day after all.”

How sweet. No wonder Dimitri appreciated her presence. “No, thank you. I’d rather make myself useful. I can do it here.”

She nodded, rearranging a shelf of aromatic herbs. Dedue did not know half of them. And those he did seem to know did not smell exactly like the ones he used back in Fodlan. He would have to adjust his recipes.

“How is Dimitri holding up ? I haven’t talked to him since… Well, since the Academy. I wonder what has happen during all these years.”

Dedue clenched his jaw, another surge of bitterness growling inside his chest. “I wouldn’t know… I was in Duscur most of that time… not by choice.”

“Really ?! You mean he has been all alone for so long ?! That’s terrible !”

The Fortress Knight had to muster all his willpower not to lash out at the shelves before him. Terrible. The word was insignificant compared to the hardship his Prince had to suffer. His back stiffened and his hands curled into fists. Just what kind of miserable servant was he to abandon his King in such a moment of misery ?

“Dedue… I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-… I’m certain you have done everything you could to find him. I know there’s just no way you could not be here if it could be helped.”

“I… I shall never forgive myself for abandoning his Highness… I can barely imagine what he’s been through for all these years but now I must make amends.”

The blue-haired woman nodded understandingly. “I see. I’d like to help as well if I can, would you allow me ?”

“I… I cannot stop you. And I appreciate the sentiment. I’ll let you know if anything comes to mind.”

She smiled, gentle and kind. “Thank you. May I start by helping you with dinner ?”

“Certainly. I think his Highness will wish to eat alone tonight. I’ll bring him his meal and mention you’ve leant a hand.”

Marianne agreed enthusiastically and together they prepared Dimitri some onion gratin soup. Despite a noticeable clumsiness she poured her heart in the preparation. He wondered if he should prepare a portion for himself, to eat with his lord, but opted against it. It would not be suitable for a King to eat with a Duscuri commoner.

Other people came peeking in, sometimes grabbing something to nibble on or preparing a meal for themselves. Ashe, Ignatz, and Raphael had apparently decided to be of cooking duty for the evening but kept a respectable distance. No one bothered them.

Once it was over Dedue thanked Marianne graciously for her aid, promising to tell her if his Prince had appreciated the meal before they parted.

Maybe this could cheer up his lord somehow. They were rather close back in the Academy. And she understood him, was a noble like him, she bore a Crest too. She was from the Alliance, sure, but political relations or even marriage between two of the Major forces of Fodlan was not unheard of or even rare…

He sighed. He had hoped that during his days at the Academy Dimitri would find someone to take as his wife or consort. At least if he did Dedue would finally be able to stop thinking. Thinking about how lonely his Prince must be. Without a companion to talk to equal to equal. Longing to be allowed to fill this depth inside his chest. But he could not. He knew quite well that people had doubted Dimitri’s ability to take objective decisions simply for keeping him by his side. And taking a wife might have been able to quench some of the nobles’ thirst for blood. But he did not. Worse, he refused to even consider the idea before the real responsible of the Tragedy of Duscur had been found and traded in justice.

And so he had kept Dedue by his side. And so he had insisted to treat him as a friend. But he could not understand the risks, being bright soul he is… the bright soul he was…

No, Dimitri still had a soul of gold. He was just… lost. For the moment. But Dedue had found him now. He had found him and he would not let him go any more. He knocked on the door.

“Your Highness ? I’m bringing you some dinner.”

Silence…

A shuffle of sheets.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You have barely eaten today, your Highness.”

“I don’t care. It’s pointless to feed me.”

Oh, Dimitri… Dedue needed to try another angle to convince his Lord to eat.

“… It’s onion gratin soup. One of your favourites.”

No answer.

“Marianne helped me with the preparation.”

A sigh behind the door. The lock clicked. “Come in. You’ll stay with me.”

The Fortress Knight carefully pushed the door open. Somehow Dimitri had managed to darken his room. The only remaining lights the ones coming from the small window. Apparently he was in the middle of a restless ‘nap’ when Dedue came. He only wore pants and had not bothered to dress up again.

The Prince grabbed the chair from his desk and dragged it in front of his bed before slumping back on the edge of the mattress.

“Sit. We’ll eat.”

Dedue bowed slightly and obeyed, holding the tray on his knees so Dimitri could use his lap as a table. Not ideal or befitting of a royal but orders were orders. And if he was to keep his Prince company while he ate he might as well make himself useful.

The blond look at the tray, frowning.

“Is something wrong, your Highness ?”

“You only brought one meal.”

“Yes.”

“And one set of cutlery.”

“Yes.”

“… What are you going to eat ?”

Dedue froze. Dimitri expected him to be eating by his side ?

“I… I did not prepare myself a portion. It would not be appropriate.”

The blond remained quiet a moment, glaring at the warm plate. “Then we’ll be sharing.”

“Your Highne-”

“No. I want-...” Dimitri paused, face torn by conflict and bitterness. “Please. Whatever you think I am to you. Whatever you think you are to me. Please...”

Dedue looked down at the gratin. He made it for Dimitri. Because it has been so long since he was able to offer his Prince a proper meal. Because in the past months he could no longer stop his Lord from eating plants due to the starvation their rag-tag army suffered from. And now, if he waited too long it would turn cold…

“Very well. But please. Have the first bite.”

He huffed but complied. Dedue softly sighed of relief when the first bite vanished in the young man’s mouth. Dimitri planted the fork back into the food and looked up to Dedue… It has been the first time Dimitri looked into his eye since he unlocked the door.

“Your turn.”

“Yes.”

They ate in silence. Taking turns eating. Dedue tried to make sure Dimitri would get the biggest pieces.

“I thought you were dead.”

“Excuse me ?”

Dimitri toyed with a piece of cheese with the tip of his fork, absently. “After you rescued me in Fhirdiad. I… I thought you might have escaped. I waited in the slums for weeks, hoping you would join me. So we could run away together. I tried to stay hidden for as long as I could until it became too dangerous. When I had to resign myself to leave… Your ghosts was amongst those I had lost in Duscur Saying all these terrible things..”

“Your Highness...”

Dimitri snarled, snapping his teeth at him as if he was some untamed animal. “Stop this ! I’m no longer a Prince ! I beg of you, I can’t stand having anyone pretending my life is worth their death ! You above all else ! Please ! I’m no higher than you are !”

“But you are. You are the crown Prince of Faerghus and I’m a man of-”

“Enough !” Dimitri rose, the fork clattered on the floor. “My birth dictates in no way my worth as a human or yours ! I’m tired of all these mannerism ! Everyone pretending I’m so important and ‘dying for me’ ! Dying in front of me ! Pretending I’m precious just for existing as if that meant _fucking anything_ ! I own nothing ! I am nothing ! Even my body is not my own ! It belongs to the dead ! And the same goes for my name ! Why is it the only ones to ever call me by my name are long passed ?!”

Dedue froze, feeling the cold chill of dread trickling down his spine. “It’s…”

Dimitri was holding his head between his hands, whimpering like a hurt dog. What was he supposed to say ? How could he tell this broken mess of a man that he cared so little for the others but only about him. That his golden mane and bright blue eyes were his only lights in all of Faerghus. That he would lay out his life before his feet without hesitation again and again for him to live. That he represented all his hopes and dream no matter how much of a wreck he was. That he as well craved to be able to say his name like Dimitri had been begging him to. That the only way to be allowed to do so was to have him as his King and sitting upon the throne. How could he say those words right now ? How could he explain this ? How could he say those words right now to a man who has been so damaged he could never realise just how important he was to Dedue and all those who had pledged themselves to him ?

He could not.

Because It was selfish.

Because he was selfish.

Because he hated all of Faerghus except for Dimitri.

$*Because the only way for him to exist was through Dimitri.

The image of Dimitri.

And he hated himself for his weakness. He hated himself for hurting Dimitri to the point of madness. For hurting the future King who could save all of Duscur. For hurting such a kind man with a heart of gold and the soul of a lion. For hurting the one and only thing he ever cared about since the Tragedy.

Dimitri had curled up in a corner, holding his head between his hands. The steady sound of tears hitting the ground cut by ragged sobs. Dedue stumbled closer, barely able to remember how to walk. He crouched next to him and clumsily pulled the blond against his chest in a pathetic attempt at comfort.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

Dimitri clung to his vassal’s shirt, digging his uneven nails into his shoulder. “Why… I just don’t understand. I don’t understand... I wish I had died with them. If I had… If I had I would still be whole… I would still be just Dimitri...”

Dedue held him tighter, jaw tensing with rage. “Do not say such things. If you had died… If you had died I would have never met you.”

The blond relaxed a little in his embrace. “You are right… I apologise, Dedue. If I had died… Saving you was the only good thing that ever came from my survival. The one and only...”

His fingers sunk into the mess of blond locks. He told himself it was to bring some more grounding for Dimitri. Bad lie. “There will be more good things. I promise. The day will come you will get your victory.”

“Will you be there then ?” he said, leaning against the large palm. In this instant his eye shone like it used to.

“Yes. I’ll always be by your side. I won’t rest until you have returned to the throne.”

The lights dimmed and blond looked away again. He curled up tighter in Dedue’s embrace like he used to when they were still children. When Dedue did not know how titles worked. The shell had closed.

“I’m tired, Dedue.”

“It is late, your Highness. You should rest.”

He helped Dimitri in bed, not that he ever needed the assistance but the closeness brought them both some bitter comfort. The blond tucked under the bedsheets he took his leave. His heart felt heavy, and his soul poisonous.

“I’m sorry, Dimitri…”

Dedue dragged his feet as he came back upstairs to Ferdinand setting the table. Ashe, Ignatz, and Raphael still seemed busy in the kitchen. Ferdinand had decided to help by setting the table and Dedue noted that 27 plates had been dressed.

“I apologise, but his Highness won’t be dinning with us I’m afraid.”

Ferdinand looked back at him with genuine concern. “Really ? Is he unwell ? The boat isn’t rocking so much but if he’s sick maybe Linhardt could try to help.”

The unexpected kindness coming from the enemy momentarily took the Fortress Knight aback but he shook it of promptly. “His Highness is not bothered by the sea. He merely… needs rest after all the recent events.”

The ginger nodded with sadness painted on his face. “Yes, I can see why. Edelgard is still unsure whether she can join us as well. Mind you, she’s a lot less comfortable standing above water.”

The Duscuri hummed absently, joining to help with the dressing of the table.

The ginger paused his work a moment, then spoke again softly. “You know… For all it’s worth I’m sorry things went down like this,” Dedue did not look up from his task. He should not even acknowledge an enemy of his Highness. “This coup to destitute and execute him was utterly dishonourable. No matter the hostility between our two sides… he did not deserve this. The Dimitri I met in the Academy was the very image of Nobility I aspire to be. He should have been given the chance to defend himself instead of being struck down by a snake like Cornelia.”

“I thought Cornelia served the Empire. I’m certain your people are highly praising her.” venom seeped into his tone. Never had he wished to twist a woman’s neck as much as he wished to wring hers. In one fell motion she had crushed Dimitri and the dreams of his entire nation. He would never forgive her.

Ferdinand scoffed. “Some might. I’m certain Hubert was delighted. But I despise deceit. And Cornelia… I briefly met her when she brought half the Kingdom on a plate and the way she spoke about the whole coup, how she staged it… repulsive. I feel sickened just thinking that we share the same side.”

Dedue kept arranging the cutlery, avoiding touching any glass for his grip was to tense he was certain he would shatter them. “You should get used to it. Those are the people you serve. You’re like them”

The ginger flinch as if he had been punched in the guts. “Excuse me ?!”

“You said it yourself. You share the same side as these sort of people, so you are like them. Get used to it.”

“That is unfair ! Do you truly believe all of Faerghus is perfect ?! You of all people should know with what they did to your people !” retorted Ferdinand.

“It is true, I despise most of the people of Faerghus. But Dimitri… His Highness. He would have never tolerated such a repugnant creature as his ally. He was going… no, he’s going to build a place where my people are no longer faulted for crimes we didn’t commit. He was walking a path of peace while the one you pledged your allegiance to reduced it all to dust. We are not the same. Prince Dimitri never had the choice. Your Emperor took it from him along with all the hoped for my people’s salvation,” he set down the last set of cutlery, finally turning his eyes burning with wrath and disgust to the miserable, useless, little noble before him. “No matter how much you apologise, you still did nothing. Passivity does not make you any less complicit. Now, if you’ll excuse me the table has been dressed. I’ll help in the kitchens and I think it is better for the two of us that we do not speak to each other again.”

He turned his heels and stormed in the kitchen. Leaving Ferdinand alone. Alone and speechless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning is really slow, I'm so sorry about it.  
> Any kind of feedback is very welcome.  
> PS : should I add the tags for the future ships or should I wait for them to be started for the sake of keeping the tags spoiler free ?


	7. Shallow Worlds and Deep Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voiceless takes drastic measures to decipher the data and Domitius gets tired of Dimitri hiding away in his bedroom.

**[[SewnCrown]] : _Are there any updates ?_**

**[[BlackBrother]] :** _ Our excavation staff has just reached the lower levels. It appears the explosion was of criminal nature. _

**[[WhiteBrother]] :** _ As we already suspected. _

**[[BlackBrother]] :** _ So far we have not found any of the patients bodies. But the excavation team has not reached their room. _

**[[SewnCrown]] : _Any clue on the perpetrators ?_**

**[[BlackBrother]] :** _ Not yet.  _ _ BleedingHeart _ _ is working on it. _

**[[SewnCrown]] : So we have nothing.**

**[[BlackBrother]] :** _ We are working on it. We will bring you results. _

**[[SewnCrown]] : _I strongly recommed it._**

**[[SewnCrown]] : _We have funnelled a lot of resources in this project._**

**[[SewnCrown]] : _You better not disappoint._**

**[[WhiteBrother]]** :  _ It will be done. _

**[[SewnCrown has disconnected]]**

**[[WhiteBrother has disconnected]]**

**[[BlackBrother has disconnected]]**

Voiceless groaned in frustration. This code was hell to crack. When she first started to poke around the first files she believed it would be just a regular walk in the park. But as it turns out she had just scratched the surface. If she had easily scrapped most of the data from low-security levels files she found herself stuck by the higher level security protocol. And of course the most important bits were probably stuck behind that wall. Like why the hell were these kids snatched from their world and instantly stuffed in a lab.

No one could planned where a portal would appear or if people could even come out of a portal. And yet the data she had managed to decipher clearly implied that they knew when and where the kids would show up to immediately subdue them. As if someone had planned for it.

Worse.

Had caused it.

And if someone had this power that made them incredibly dangerous. Their world had gained incredible knowledge thanks to the portals. Scholars from entirely different universes bringing their knowledge and wisdom along with rare technologies that had shaped their lands. Some even say the multitude of species living in harmony came from portals bringing entirely new races to walk amongst them. Which would explain the great genetic, cultural, and philosophical variants of each population. Even why some sentient species were more rare than others.

And someone being able to cause portals to appear at will and use it to their own profit was not a good omen.

She sighed and slumped over her keyboard. She would need to dive in. She hated not being able to solve a code just using her hacker skills but this level of security made things too complicated without the proper keywords.

Better get some coffee.

She rose up to her feet and made her way to the upper deck grumbling. If only the kids came from a more modern era they could have helped with it but things were never that simple.

The upper deck was rather quiet. At least they did keep their word about maintaining peace for a while. Even if the air could easily grow tense and some of them stubbornly refused to leave their rooms at all times. But right now the mood was light. Leonie, Lysithea, Caspar, Linhardt, and Sylvain were playing a hand of cards, Claude was devouring a humongous amount of books to prepare himself for his upcoming jobs, Hilda and Dorothea were sunbathing in what they had come to call ‘the Chill Nook’, and on the outer deck Felix, Dedue, Ingrid, Raphael, and Petra were training. The rest must be in their rooms, maybe reading, maybe training, maybe depression napping.

She eyed Hilda and Dorothea with envy and dragged her feet to the kitchen to grab the pot of coffee but Linhardt called out for her.

“Ah, Voiceless. Are there any updates on this code you mentioned.”

The million credit question. Great.

“No, not yet. I’ll have to plug in to crack it.” explained the elf, avoiding the details since no one here would be able to understand her lingo anyway.

“Oh ? Are you going to dive ? I was wondering how the conversion of your brain data to virtual commands is operated. Is it okay if I watch ?”

She blinked a couple of times, startled by the request. She was pretty sure she had not taught him anything about the Dive and she doubted Dusty or Domitius would have been able to explain it clearly. “Suuuuure… How do you know about diving ?”

Linhardt pointed at one of the books sprawled open across Claude’s lap. She just needed a quick glance to know its entire contents. _DIVING : THE ULTIMATE TOOL OF MODERN HACKING._ A classic. “I read this book the other day when you told us about coding. I read a few others on top of this one, of course. It’s not exactly starter level. I was hoping I could help somehow but alas I’ve read you need a mechanical augmentation to dive so I suppose it is out of my reach for now.”

Voiceless let out an appreciative hum. “You managed to read that and more in just a couple of days ? Colour me impressed. Usually it’s so dense and technical people give up past the first three pages. Ten if they are really motivated.”

The young man just shrugged. “I’ve read worse. At least those books are not handwritten by monks.”

Voiceless chuckled. Thank fuck she was not born during the Dark Age. “Well so much devotion should be rewarded. Let me grab my coffee and you can tag along.”

“Perfect. I’ll go ahead to your room then.” he said as he pushed himself up.

“But.. Linnie, wait ! We have not finished the game !” protested Caspar when he saw his friend stand.

Linhardt sighed. “It’s fine, Caspar. I’ve won next round no matter what. Here,” He revealed his hand, showing just the perfect final hand. “You can keep playing without me. I’ll be back once we’re done.”

And with that he left without a word while his game mates either cursed at their loss or whistled in admiration at his perfectly executed coup. The elf grinned, an amused fondness warming her chest. She went on to fetch the coffee pot Domitius kept ready at all time, bless this man, and walked back to her room. The kid was already snooping around her computer, respectfully keeping his hands to himself but reading her code very intently.

“Already trying to crack my code ? That’s a little early for that.” she said slipping back onto her chair and dropping the pot of coffee on the desk.

“I can understand a few commands but the rest is still above my level. Maybe if you tutored me I could manage writing a program of my own. But first thing first I’d like to see how diving works.”

She chuckled, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Drinking from the pot while diving tended to get messy and she’d rather not waste Domitius’ coffee if she could help it. Especially in front of a witness. “I’m afraid you won’t see much from this point. You’ll just see me plug in and type. Computer is going to go crazy while I dive through the system’s defences and hopefully I don’t fry my brain.”

Linhardt rose an eyebrow. “Is diving so dangerous ?”

“Yeah, quite. Otherwise everyone would use diving to do their online shopping. My augs have some failsafes in case things go awry,” said the elf tapping the golden etchings in her skull. “But you know. Risk zero does not exist. And given my level when I dive it means serious business.”

The young man hummed thoughtfully. “I see. Is there anything I can do to be of assistance ?”

_Fill my cup._ But that would be an asshole thing to say so she bit her tongue and instead popped up the emergency unplugging program. “See this window ? If alarms start blaring for more than  five seconds tap it directly on the screen. Normally, I don’t like any fingers on my screen but I’ll make an exception for you.”

Linhardt smiled lightly. “I’m honoured. Too bad I won’t actually be able to see how it looks like inside.”

Voiceless shrugged. “ You could ask Dusty to get you the aug. But let’s get to work before I get side-tracked.”

Linhardt moved aside so he could watch the elf as she connected her device to her computer and slid it around her ear. The device crackled and her body convulsed violently as it connected. The young man jolted as her eyes rolled back into her skull and a guttural hiss escaped her lips before she fell limp into her chair.

He stood frozen for a second before his training kicked back in and he went to take her wrist. “Voiceless ?”

The hand slipped out of his grasp, mechanical gestures as the body rearranged itself into proper sitting position, eyes glassy and unfocused but posture rigid and alert.

** Sorry. The Dive is usually smoother than that. ** Spoke a  disembodied voice straight from the machine’s speakers.  ** They must have had some serious protection against Divers. Good thing my gear is cutting edge or I would be a vegetable right now.  ** The hands started typing at inhuman speeds, the clatter of fingers like hail on thick glass.

“You are speaking through the machine ? Are you aware of your body’s surroundings ?”

A light pause.  ** More or less. I need to be able to unplug quickly or perform specific actions. It really depends on the augs you have. The usual diving gear entirely cuts you from the meat world. **

Linhardt hummed, the term of ‘Meat World’ was slightly unsettling to hear but this only teased his curiosity further. “I see. Your ‘augs’, are they truly exceptional ?”

A broken laughter echoed from the speakers. Like a flat retranscription of the sound devoid of all emotion.  ** They are one of a kind. Dusty is an expert. You should ask them about it. They will be able to explain the medical stuff better than I. **

Linhardt made a mental note and nodded. Voiceless had not lied when she said the computer would go crazy.  New windows kept popping up and running lines and lines of code so fast he could barely catch a single word before disappearing again. Sometimes the windows would overlay the emergency unplugging software causing him to get antsy but the program kept running smoothly as Voiceless typed restlessly. It felt frustrating standing aside and watch when so much was clearly happening. It was something he could not yet understand and yet so close. Like Crests. Having one himself and not understanding  how it functioned really was immensely frustrating.

** Cracking the firewalls was a lot easier in the cyberspace. Her persona navigated through the Matrix  with ease, Kingfisher diving for the catch. She flew  instead of walked , piercing  through defences  before they even trigger,  extracting data from the nodes in one swift motion. Nothing could resist her. She was in her element. But  she knew that all she was picking so far were merely crumbs. The catch was more protected and she knew it. It was too easy yet. The surface she had already scratched. But she would dive deeper and snatch the prize. But she knew better than leave any stone unturned and dutifully hunted down every piece of information before she turned her attention to the murkier waters. **

** T he high firewall looming above her like a gigantic bird of prey. But she would not falter. She had to aim true and so she did. With precise strikes she quickly revealed a loophole she could dive through. She speared through the surface,  shattering the wall. Before her eyes the final node. Holding the final keys to decipher all the data she stole. And it was at arms reach. She grasped it within her claws and the warning flashed. **

**P A S S W O R D**

** Shit. She stole it anyway. But without proper authorization her intrusion was instantly detected.  Alarms blared. Deafening. Crushing. And the world started closing in on her. Spawning endless waves of hostile softwares on her trail. She had to run. Clenching her prize she flew. **

Linhardt was leaning on the wall, taking a fast nap when the computer started beeping furiously. He startled awake. Voiceless’ body had started twitching, hands still typing, but her shoulders and head kept jumping, her feet stomping the floor.

_One_

The healer jumped to her side, trying to take her pulse at her neck. It was beating way too fast. Just like his.

_Two_

He turned his head to the screen. Windows popping and flashing alarms all over. The emergency software invisible underneath. He started panting.

_Three_

Linhardt launched himself at the console. For every window he manage to close or push away another appeared. His fingers trembled.

_Four_

The emergency software finally appeared under the clutter.  He pulled it out like his notes on Crestology buried under piles of books.  Sweat dribbled on the side of his face.

_Five_

He slapped his finger on the screen. And like a gust of wind blowing out candles all the activity on the monitor vanished and Voiceless fell limp on her chair. Silence fell.

He panted, finger still pressed where the program had been. Worst awakening from a nap since Hubert pulled him out of the library by the scruff of the neck because Edelgard had declared war on the rest of Fodlan. He took a few seconds to collect himself before turning to the elf. Her eyes remained closed and her head had lolled to the side, a rivulet of drool coming out of her mouth.

The young man cursed under his breath and came to pull her out of her chair and lay her on the floor. Without his healing magic he was just as good as blind in these circumstances. He pressed his ear to her chest, hearing the steady thud of a heartbeat beneath the rib cage. He sighed in relief.

“That’s not the sound people usually make when they have their face between my breasts.” grumbled Voiceless, voice rough as if she had been running through a burning field. Considering what just happened earlier it might as well feel the same.

Linhardt bolted back into a sitting position. “I was merely checking on your vitals. You were convulsing !”

She sat up with a pained groan, massaging the back of her neck with a wince. “Yeah… That’s usually what happens when your avatar is being team-tagged in the cyberspace. Thanks for pulling me out. I don’t feel like having Dusty reboot my internal organs.”

The healer tilted his head to the side in confusion and the elf waved his questions off with a flick of her wrist. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Well. I’m guessing you didn’t get what you were looking for.” shrugged Linhardt accepting to delay his curiosity.

Voiceless chuckled. “Of course I got what I was looking for. I’m one of the best. It’s my avatar’s extraction that was complicated. The alarm was set to start blaring the second someone bypassed the firewall. Only way to set it off was with a password I didn’t have nor had the time to crack. I’ve still secured the data. I’ll scroll through it when I don’t feel like the international troll volleyball team is using me as a ball of smash practice.”

Linhardt hummed, not understanding half the lingo she had just spewed. Might just nod and play along.

She chuckled when he did not have the reaction she expected and clumsily pushed herself up, unsteady on her legs. “I need to take a good kip. You can tell the others I should have that data ready tonight or tomorrow… depending on how long I nap.”

“I understand.” he said with a smile. “Well then. I’ll leave you be. Thank you for having me here. It was definitely an interesting experience.”

And it was. Now he definitely knew where his next stop would be.

Domitius tasted the content of the large casserole cooking on the stove… Not spicy enough.

He extended his hand toward the jar of red spice but Ashe slid it out of his reach.

“I’m sorry, Mister Domitius. But I think most of us will think it’s spicy enough as it is. You can add more in your own plate.” sheepishly apologised the young man.

The werewolf groaned but did not comment any further. The kid was a great cook and Domitius was aware that his use of spices was… slightly excessive. So he accepted the critique and just dropped some milder condiments into the mix under Ashe’s approving stare.

Bonding with strangers was not his strong suit. Despite presenting as a human he could rival most trolls in height and built. He loomed over any human addressing him and his uncanny golden eyes often made people uncomfortable… Though he suspected his eyes were not exactly the reason people were uncomfortable talking with him. The thick, bloated scar slashing his face was probably a better reason for people to think he would stab them in broad daylight.

However in the kitchen… Everything was fine in the kitchen. He could chop, hammer, slice, dice, crush, mash, crack, grate, and no one batted an eye. They even loved him for it. Except when he was about to pour way too much spice into the mix. But it was not _his_ fault spicy food was so good and no one else could stomach it.

Ashe took a spoonful of his preparation and let out a delighted sound. “Your food is so good, Mister Domitius ! I would really love if you could teach me some of your recipes !”

The compliment went straight to Domitius’ cheek. Good Gods his thick beard and dark complexion would hide the burn. He puffed up a little and kept his eyes resolutely on the pan so the young man would not see how embarrassed he was. “Sure… But most of it is improvised, you know ?”

“I don’t mind !” chirped Ashe with a bright smile. “It’s just so tasty ! Maybe you can show me the combinations you use so I could learn to make my own recipes.”

Domitius scratched the back of his neck. This guy was really going to kill him.

Dedue abruptly slammed his body through the doors. His expression closed and dark. Without a word he pulled out a single plate and various ingredients.

“Dedue… Has his Highness refused to come out again ?”

The large man grunted a reply and kept working.

Domitius paused his work a moment. ‘His Highness’… must be blondie. He remembered talking to him. He remembered seeing himself in his reflection. Himself when he was at his lowest…

He let out a huff. “Ashe. Watch for the food. I’ll be right back.”

“Uh ? Sure but, where are you going ?”

“He should not be staying locked up in his room.”

Domitius ignored the anxious yelp calling him back and stormed downstairs. He sniffed the doors and easily located the scent of the man he had talked to a few days ago and walked to it.

He slammed his fist twice on the door, in the corridor Dedue was running to catch to him.

“Leave me alone !” barked the rough voice inside the room.

Domitius briefly glanced at Dedue. “No. I’m coming in.”

He walked inside. The man on the bed rose up, glaring daggers at the intruder. “How dare you ! Leave this place at once !”

“You can’t stay locked up like this.” replied Domitius flatly. Dedue did not dare enter the room and stayed frozen in front of the door.

“And who are you to tell me this ! Get out !”

“No.” The giant gestured at Dedue to come in and close the door. They had to avoid bringing any curious witnesses.

“Leave me alone !”

“No.”

Dimitri roared and grabbed Domitius by the collar. The tower of a man did not flinch, moving only to keep Dedue from pushing the blond away. “And what do you intend to do then ? Drag me out of here by force ?”

“No,” He wore the same clothes he had put on the day they left their makeshift camp. Not only that but his hair was filthy, already matted in some places and despite Dedue’s steady income of meals he had lost weight and muscular mass. He probably rejected most of the food sent his way. Domitius sniffed him and scrunched up his nose. The man reeked of sweat and anxiety. “First you should take a bath.”

The blond scoffed. “I care not for such matters ! All I care about is for us to return to Fodlan so I can tear her head from her wretched shoulders !”

Domitius shook his head with a sigh. “And staying locked up in here without washing is gonna help how ? If anything you should get up and get a grip.”

“And who are you to tell me what to do like this ?!”

“I already told you. I just don’t want you to repeat my mistakes. Right now you’re pretty much doing them.”

Dimitri let go of his collar, the cloth burning his hand. He growled. “...Leave me alone.”

“No.”

“Please…Just go... I should not be around anyone else.” begged the blond. But Domitius did not speak yet. His golden eyes placid and patient. Waiting. Waiting for his words… no… waiting for him. “I’m a beast… a monster. I do not deserve pity or help. So please. Leave me.”

“I can’t. You need help.” repeated the tall man unmoving. He spoke softly, his rough voice steady but his golden eyes were lost in a place only him could see. A place no one really returns from. A haunted realm so unique to the two men arguing.

“I don’t deserve any help !” roared Dimitri pushing away the other man. He cared not for the soothing attempt. “How could I ? I’m a monster ! I’ve killed ! I’ve tortured ! I relentlessly hounded any imperial dog crossing my path ! My hands are stained with blood ! My soul is rotten ! I am nothing but a walking corpse and a killer !” He yelled, grabbing the giant by the collar of his shirt.

But Domitius did not bulge. “And ?”

“Excuse me ?”

“Every soldier has blood on their hands. I do too. We shouldn’t, sure. But shit happens. Doesn’t mean we’re freaks.” calmly explained Domitius, shrugging lazily. He did not even try to break free of the enraged Prince.

“It’s not about being a soldier !”

“What is it about then ?” asked the werewolf, his steady voice still low, as if unimpressed by the shouts of the blond. A tower standing still and untouched on a battlefield. Dedue clenched his hands into fists, he should have stopped Domitius from barging in and shaking his Lord but the werewolf did not give up.

“It’s for the dead. They demand their tribute ! They must have it, no one else can hear their voices and I _must_ avenge them ! If I don’t they… They will just keep haunting the land of the living, is terrifying agony. They cannot get vengeance themselves. So I must become the tool they can wield.”

Domitius paused, scratching his thick beard with his dark claws, thoughtful. “You must uh ? Why ? You owe them something ?”

Dimitri gritted his teeth, his grasp on Domitius’ shirt turning more and more into an anchor. “They… They died for me… They saved me from death back in Duscur… Until I have found the one responsible for their deaths I must become a tool to serve their purpose. Even if I must kill. Even if I must torture. Even if I must use my own allies to reach this goal. Even if I die accomplishing this task ! As long as I breathe, I must keep going. Until I can get her head and set them free. Only then should I be allowed to rest.”

“You care.”

Silence, like that frozen moment after a stunning slap. Dimitri kept his eye riveted to the floor, almost trembling in frustration.

“These people who died. You care about them. That’s why you’re doing that. They were important people to you and you cared for them. I think they cared for you as well. But you have to grieve and let go. What already happened cannot be changed. Even if it hurts. The now is what matters. The now is what we must fight for and I believe the now is what they fought for as well. So if you owe them stuff, it’s the now. Don’t you think ?”

“No-… That’s-that’s not… I don’t… It’s...” Dimitri could not find his words, cornered by Domitius’ words

The tallest man looked at him patiently and wordlessly he put his immense hand in the golden hair and gently ruffled the locks. Dimitri was frozen in place, unable to understand the unexpected gesture of kindness despite his bloody confession. And like a dam breaking, Dimitri cried. He fell apart and crumbled against Domitius. The werewolf just let him wail and gently pulled him into a tight embrace.

“That’s it, kiddo. Let it go. Let it go. Shhhhh. That’s good. Go ahead.”

“Your Highness...” whispered Dedue. The whole display twisting his stomach in a terrible gordian knot. All this time caring for Dimitri, keeping him away from any form of distress and now this man just rushed in, confronted him and incomprehensibly the Prince just broke and spilled everything showing a vulnerability he had not ever showed his vassal despite how much he begged for it. Despite Dimitri’s demands for friendship.

Domitius gently rocked Dimitri in his arms, speaking softly. Dedue first felt the bitter taste of jealousy pooling in his stomach. He wanted to tear Dimitri out of the other man’s arm and be the one to hold his crying Lord, the one and only man of Faerghus he truly cared about. But he wasn’t allowed to. Soon, the werewolf loosened his grip on the blond’s shoulder, looking into his eye.

“Okay, kid. I’ll let you catch a breath but here’s the deal. You take a bath now and you need to show up at every meal from now on. No more hiding in your room.”

“But I’ll see her... I don’t…. I can’t control myself.” retorted Dimitri in an almost childish whine, his face still wet with tears.

Domitius shook his head. “You can. And if you don’t we’ll be here to help you. You ain’t alone in this, kid. Understood ?”

The Prince sighed and his shoulders slumped. “Very well. I suppose I’ve been too easy on myself by running away. I will face her… And control myself.”

“But first bath,” insisted the werewolf, his nose stinging with the rancid scent of sweat and sadness coming from the blond. “I don’t think you’ve been shown yet how the bathroom works. Want me or your buddy to show you ?”

“… Dedue. I want Dedue to stay.”

Domitius nodded his approval and turned to the white-haired man. Dedue was still quiet and keeping the door like a loyal guard dog. “See you later, man. If you need anything you know where I am.”

“Yes… Thank you for your assistance.” mumbled the Fortress Knight stepping aside and opened the door for the other man.

“No problems.”

The werewolf quietly left the room and closed the door. Dedue briefly heard muffled concerned voices but Domitius placidly quieted them. Leaving Dedue and Dimitri standing together in awkward silence.

Dimitri did not look at him, still looking at the floor, like a child who has just been scolded. He sniffed a last time and dried his teary eyes with a rough wipe of his forearm before finally turning to his vassal, but still avoiding eye contact.

“Dedue… Can you show me how to run a bath, please ?”

“Of course, your Highness. Follow me.”

The two men stepped in the small bathroom. On their left a tub occupying half the room laid untouched still. Dedue bent over, reaching for the tap and started drawing the bath like he had been shown a few days earlier. He tested the water a couple of times, ensuring it would be just at the temperature his liege preferred, and dropped a pinch of the scented bath salt in the clear water.

“It looks easy,” softly noted Dimitri behind him. His voice still coarse from his cries. “Easier than it was in Fodlan. Could you explain to me how it works so I can do it on my own ?”

“Of course,” replied Dedue straightening his back, not yet turning to the blond. “I will also show you how to work the shower shall you prefer this method.”

Dimitri nodded, Dedue heard him run a hand over his stubbly jaw. “Could you also help me shave ? I don’t want to show myself at dinner if I’m not presentable.”

“Certainly.” Dedue turned to the small cupboard and started pulling the tools he might need.

Once he was done he just stood in silence, facing the wall as the bath filled itself. Giving his liege privacy. Dimitri stood still a few moments before Dedue heard him slowly undress behind his back. The sound of cloth falling on the floor was followed by the sound of bare feet walking to the tub, stepping inside carefully. The blond held the sides of the tub as he lowered himself with a sigh of relief, hot water always soothed the ache from his old wounds. And this bath must have been the first warm one he had in years maybe. A long forgotten respite.

Dedue tossed a careful glance at his Prince, mindful not to get caught. Dimitri was soaking in the warmth, tense muscles relaxed in the water, his eye closed and head resting on the flat surface of the headrest. He lingered on the sight a few more seconds than would be deemed convenable and quietly stepped back toward the bed room.

“Where are you going ?” asked Dimitri, instantly pulled from his relaxed trance, a tremor of anxiety in his voice.

“Leaving you to your privacy, your Highness.”

“But… Aren’t you going to help me wash my hair ?”

Dedue frowned. “You hate it when I wash your hair. you’ve demanded me to stop in the past.”

The blond shook his head. “No. I hate it when you treat me like a Prince and I asked you to stop that. But… I like it when you’re here. And when you wash my hair.”

No amount of training with the Blaiddyd heir had ever delivered a blow so precise and Dedue no longer knew what to do with himself.

“I… Very well, your Highness. I will wash your hair.”

Dimitri smiled, these shy smiles only he had the secret of, and sunk back into the water. Dedue walked back to the tub and sat on the side of it. He wet his hands under the faucet before turning it off and grabbed the bottle of shampoo. Dimitri relaxed easily under his fingers, sometimes he could even swear he was leaning against his palms. The Fortress Knight took his time, massaging the blond’s temples and working the knots out of the golden locks.

Dedue smiled, relishing in the moment of comfort Dimitri was sharing with him. With him and no one else.

He almost wished they could skip dinner together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Matrix scene is very typical of the SR video games but basically imagine some cyber plateformer game with drones patrolling and some sort of puzzles to solve to get through firewalls  
> Also, I'm not a programmer of any sort and anyone who actually knows programming would probably punch me but eh, we all have our weaknesses.  
> Please feel free to leave me your opinion in a comment it would help me a lot to keep going and progress through the story.


	8. Weaving Fates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worldbuilding in this chapter

The migraine was pounding her skull like a battering ram during a very muscled police raid. An entire day passed out served as punishment. But she did not feel like waiting around much longer after struggling so much to pull that data. She dragged her laptop into bed and started her reading after another nap and a fussy scolding from Dusty. A small price to pay for the bomb she was reading through.

That shit was heavy.

But also by far the most interesting files she stole from a run. She barely had the time to run a quick research on the NeoNET before the kids warned her about dinner. She took her laptop under her arm and went upstairs, still reading as she navigated toward the table.

“Gee ! Voice ! Turn off the laptop, that’s rude !” yapped Dusty as they helped themselves an impressive serving of Domitius’ casserole.

“Just a sec. I’m almost done.”

“Is that the data you got from the Matrix ?” asked Linhardt suddenly jolting awake.

“Yup,” replied Voiceless barely looking up from her screen. “I’m running a research on the names I pulled from the data.”

“Does this concern the people who attacked us ?”

Voiceless startled, not recognising the voice. She looked at the one talking, seeing a tall, one-eyed blond. She recalled him as the pissed off man back in the camp who then had locked himself up in his bedroom ever since they had arrived here. He looked calmer now, still twitchy. His hair had been combed and stubble shaved neatly. He still looked like he had not slept in three weeks but at least he vaguely resembled a human being and not a skinny troll.

“Uh… Yeah. The same. Been working on that data to get a lead on your kidnappers. Officially the company belonged to a company called ‘Bloodcore’ a branch of Bahamut Industries. Their facade is intense study of blood-related diseases like the MetaHuman Vampiric Virus or Infused Leucemia to understand their mechanics and eventually work out a remedy but clearly that’s not the only thing they have in store.” explained Voiceless to a group of very confused medieval soldiers. She groaned and scratched her head at their confusion.

“So, to make it more simple. Bahamut is a massive company with a finger in basically everything. Try to imagine like… a trading company that can sell everything from food, cattle, manufactured products, just everything you can think of ! And they are implanted everywhere on the globe. Now, this company has done shady things in the past but they are just so big and so important it would be impossible to fully get rid of them and when they get caught they just say something like ‘oh no ! I’m just so big and busy and can’t supervise everything I’m doing ! It’s the limbs fault for being criminal, here let me get rid of it so it won’t cause any more trouble !’ but in the end they are just so massive and have so much resources they can just redo it somewhere else and no one will know.”

“Hmm, that sounds like a thorn in your side.” noted Claude, trying to imagine such a similar group at large in Fodlan and beyond. He remembered similar stories about faraway empires or even this group Lysithea had talked about that was somehow implanted all over Fodlan. A terrifying prospect.

“It is ! And that’s why runners like us exist. To cause massive damage to companies like that because if official powers get involved that will just be a light slap on the wrist and nothing else.”

Leonie and Dorothea nodded their approval in unisson.

“Anyway, they still can’t do shady things in the open so they look for excuses. Here they pretended to be well intentioned medics trying to solve an important health issue. That excuse allowed them to get a facility removed from the city, because the diseases they deal with are highly dangerous and contagious. Armed personnel, because some of those illnesses can provoke frenzied rage and the infected individuals would need to be dealt with. And also any material required for their experiments on human beings without rising any eyebrows because those diseases affect specifically humans.”

“That’s clever.” commented Hubert with an ominous smile, as if taking mental notes for the future. “So that’s how they were able to justify our captivity but also the steady income of supplies without arousing suspicion but then how did you know something was afoot here ?”

Dusty giggled. “The same way we always do, child. By looking for missing pieces !”

“Missing pieces ? What do you mean ?” asked Sylvain, absolutely enthralled by the discussion.

“Well, what you must know first is that some really bad shit happened in our past history so the higher power decided it would be best if they kept the monopoly on some specific and dangerous resources. Some that are needed for metahuman experimentation. So to get access to these resources you need to give some specific information. But, if something shady is going on then there will be holes in the story, missing pieces.” explained the pooka between two massive spoonfuls of food.

“I see. And how do you find these ?” asked Lorenz leaning closer.

“Well, as you can guess it is not easy to see them. Otherwise the people in charge would have found out. But mostly they cannot find out because there are laws and rules that prevent them from crossing some lines. Thing is, oftentimes these rules have been pushed on by those who need to do the illegal stuff and need to hide in the shadows or the grey areas. And that’s where runners come in,” continued Dusty. “We are not official, or even legal for that matter. But that means we are not bound by law. Of course that means that we are not paid if we get caught we’ll get either killed or thrown in prison but I see that as another way to make sure there’s no abuse, see ?”

“Anyway, we get hired, sometimes by concerned groups or simply by concurrence who want to fuck the other guy’s shit up. Which is convenient for us ! So we get to snoop in where officials cannot. In your case it’s another runner group who contacted us. They operate on the other side of the planet so it was better to give us the job instead and get a favour from us. They’ve been keeping a close eye on Bloodcore and very recently they realised a big bunch of new patients had been taken to a brand new facility -which is suspicious in itself- and when they checked the patients’ identities they realised those people had been paid a good load of money to lend their identities and move out under a new name. So it could not be them in the facility !”

“I see. That’s how they knew something was wrong.” said Ferdinand

“Yeah ! Now, I don’t think they expected worldwalkers but they knew whomever was in there was probably not in here of their own volition. So they contacted us and here we are now !”

“Well, that’s quite the story.” sighed Hilda barely holding back her yawns. “And was there anything about us ?”

“Yep,” confirmed Voiceless. “Clearly they were researching some specific properties in your blood. I’m guessing this had to do with those Crests of yours. I think you’re lucky we found you so early because clearly they had been weeding out anyone without those.”

“Is that why you had a lot more space planned in your camp ?” asked Edelgard, her face even paler than usual.

“Yes… We expected some more people to rescue.” confessed Voiceless between gritted teeth.

“Oh Goddess save their souls !” cried Mercedes.

Dimitri was frozen still next to Dedue. The large man trying to comfort his King without attracting attention to the both of them.

“Tsk. You took your time and over two dozens of people paid the price. Great.” sneered Felix, fuming and glaring daggers at the three runners.

“First of all, watch that mouth because your pretty face and flashy Emblem or whatever won’t give you a free pass.” snapped back Voiceless. “Secondly, you’re just a pissy little medieval boy who has no idea how things work around here so when you know how to flush the toilet without panicking you can start shittalking. Until then you better keep yourself in check because you’re pretty damn lucky we came when we did and got all of your sorry asses safely outside.”

The mortal savant sneered but didn’t retort, though Voiceless scorching tone was probably less the reason than Ingrid and Sylvain’s iron grips on his shoulders.

Heavy silence fell on the assembly, Voiceless and Felix still scowling at each other in silence.

Claude cleared his throat and just turned his head to Domitius with an easy-going smile, the werewolf looking miserable in front of his plate. “Hey, Domitius ! That food tastes really good tonight ! What’s that spicy-sweet undertone I taste in the sauce ?”

“Uh ? Oh, that was Ashe’s idea. It’s called Blue Paprika, it’s really good with curry like this. I usually don’t put that much but Ashe thought it would be nice to try a little more so I can have my spicy meal without like uh… murdering everyone.”

The rest of the table started relaxing and chatting stiffly. Both Voiceless and Felix finally settled back down and focused on their plates. Sylvain and Ingrid let go of Felix’s shoulder and helped themselves with food.

Claude pleasantly continued discussing with Domitius. The man might be a beast on the battlefield but he was really sheepish outside of combat. His attitude reminded him of Dimitri… before it all went to hell. Right now, Dimitri ate his food in absolute silence and avoiding eye contact with everyone. It was a miracle Dedue somehow convinced him to join wash and come out of his room. He should thank him after this meal. But until then…

“Say, Domitius. Mind if I ask you a few questions about your world ?”

The werewolf rose an eyebrow. “Uh ? Yeah, sure. I mean with the stuff I’ve seen you reading you’re probs more informed than I am.”

“Yeah but what I read was either historical, scientific, or ridiculously romanticised. I would like to learn about how it works in reality.”

Domitius shrugged and gestured some ‘hit me up’ sign.

“I wanted to ask about your family system. It’s very different from how things go in Fodlan. How does it work ?” asked Claude leaning on his elbows with interest.

“Whatchu mean, how does it work ? You find people you like, ask them out and if they like you they stick around.”

“Can it really be that simple ? Can it really be viable in small communities ? How does genealogy can be tracked ? Is there like some communities that aren’t polyamorous ?”

Domitius seemed overwhelmed by all the questions and Claude bit his tongue for blurting out all his thoughts in one go.

“You know what, I’d just like to ask, what happens if you ask someone out and they don’t like your other partners ?”

“Uh, well. If there’s really big conflict they either walk away entirely or they keep a tie to you but weave another twine.”explained the werewolf scratching his claws into his scruffy beard.

“So you can be in a romantic relationship with one group and still have another lover outside ?”

Domitius shrugged. “Yeah. And ‘romantic groups’ as you call them are twines. No need to make it complicated.”

“Sorry, sorry ! We just don’t have that in Fodlan ! Closest I can think would be Almyran’s harem system but it’s very one-sided I guess.” explained Claude lightly.

“I must add, Claude that the Adrestian Empire is also allowed several spouses.” pointed Edelgard with a sharp glare.

“Yeah but that’s your very own and unique little privilege. It’s not like, something anyone can afford as long as they can maintain the cost of sustaining several spouses.” retorted the Almyran with a sly wink.

“Wait, wait, wait, are you, guys, telling me I can have several girlfriends at once here ? And no one will be mad ?!” blurted Sylvain loudly.

Ingrid kicked him under the table and Felix groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with disgust.

“… Yeah ? I guess. They can get mad at you if you ain’t honest about it tho. _Weaving twine without eyes inevitably unravel_ _s_.”

Claude tilted his head curiously. “What does that mean ?”

“Love and Trust cannot be built on Secrets and Lies.” explained the werewolf placidly.

Sylvain seemed genuinely disappointed. “But I don’t want to weave twine or whatever. I just want to have fun !”

“If you want to have fun just go to a social salon. But don’t say you’re interested in a relationship. That’s just gross.” scoffed Voiceless with a roll of her eyes.

“Oh, I’ve heard of those social salons ! How do they work ?” chirped Claude enthusiastically.

Voiceless shrugged. “Well, you just show up there. The receptionist asks you a few questions if you never went and will orient you to a salon with people you could get along with. Usually there’s a host present as well to make sure there’s no conflict or get things like refreshments or snacks. Then there’s different kinds of salon for different kinds of interactions. If you just want to meet new people and have a chat there’s the Forget-me-not Greenhouse or White Tea Salon. If you’re looking for a chat and or some platonic physical comfort there’s the Bee Hive, the Dog Pile Salon, the Wyvern’s Nest-...”

“What ‘platonic physical comfort’ is meaning ?” interrupted Petra with an innocent curiosity.

“Like, if you need a hug but you ain’t interested in having sex.” explained Domitius.

“Yeah, Domi loves those.” snickered the elf adding a wink when the werewolf’s skin darkened even further. “Anyway. And at last there’s the ‘funhouse salons’. Where you get naked with whomever you like and unwind a bit. No strings attached. Like the Red Viper, the Open Doors Salon, the Loud Cat, the-...”

“Please, please, enough ! We do not need to know of such debauched places !” begged Lorenz so red he was nearly turning purple.

“No, please, please, continue, I’m taking notes !” laughed Sylvain earning more kicks from both his friends. This time harsh enough to make him wince.

“Ok, so, first of all, they are not ‘debauched’ ! Some of those are very high-standing establishments ! Like, The White Lady’s Salon is super high-end, you can even hire professionals for special occasions. You can’t even get inside if you don’t have at least three sponsor. And given the clientele that’s a really tough thing to get.”

“Urgh, another ‘Nobles Only’ club.” scoffed Dorothea whose increasing curiosity just dulled at the explanation.

“Well, White Lady’s kinda like that, yeah. But I know the best funhouses in the entire region. You don’t need the White Lady’s to have some fun. I could show you around if you’d like.” winked the elf at the songstress.

Dorothea giggled and waved her with a light blush.

The conversations started blooming on the new discovered topics of polyamory and those ‘Social Salons’ so curious to the Fodlan inhabitants. Voiceless also brought a few bottles of alcohol from her personal stash to keep them talking. Petra enthusiastically asked to visit all those salons and inviting and very embarrassed Edelgard, Bernadetta, and Ferdinand to join her. Sylvain, Ingrid, and Felix were stuck in a heated argument about the possibility of having several partners. Linhardt, Mercedes, Ignatz, Raphael, and Leonie showed healthy curiosity regarding the concepts of polyamory and how ‘twines were weaved’, Dusty gleefully answering their questions. Ashe, Caspar, Hilda, Marianne, and Annette started discussing the possibility of visiting one of the talking salons and maybe heading to the platonic one. Claude, Domitius, Lorenz, and Hubert found themselves debating the value of ‘Love’, ‘Fidelity’, and ‘Exclusivity’ in regard of those new informations and this new World’s system with surprising diplomacy given who participated in the discussion. Voiceless and Dorothea flirted shamelessly. And even Dimitri showed timid interest in eventually visiting a chatting or platonic salon with Dedue and the rest of those interested by the adventure.

They stayed all discussion those new ideas and possibility way into the night. And when Claude crashed in his cocoon of a bed he felt a pang of nostalgia. As if those late and loud evenings spent in the dining hall of Garreg Mach, laughing and rebuilding the world with passionate discourse and steel conviction. Would things have been different if they had more talks like this one ? Could they have rebuilt the world without any bloodshed ? Did the right topic come up back then ? Had the signs been there already ? Did he just turn a blind eye for the sake of preserving those childhood instants amongst those he ended up facing in battle ? Had he failed ? Could he have saved them ?

Bitterness flooded his mouth and head. What was the point of relishing in long dead memories ? The second they left this plane horror would resume . In blood and senseless wrath. He tossed in the bed, feeling his mind restlessly ruminating. He considered just sleeping the bad feeling off but remembered… He had not thanked Dedue yet.

Knowing the Duscuri he would probably see to Dimitri before getting rest of his own. Maybe he could still catch him.

The Almyran jumped out of bed a little too fast and quietly moved to the door. The corridor was empty and quiet, everyone had called it quits for the night. Everyone except Dedue who exited Dimitri’s room with the softness of morning dew. Claude smiled and opened his door wider, catching the larger man’s eye.

“Hey. Mind if I borrow you a second ?” asked the Almyran softly. The alcohol in his bloodstream made it a little more difficult to control his speech.

Dedue hesitated, briefly glancing at Dimitri’s door and his own right next to it before he nodded at Claude. “Sure. I hope you did not wait too long.”

Claude smiled and moved aside to allow the larger man inside. “Nah, don’t worry. Please, make yourself comfortable.”

The Fortress Knight walked in and remained standing. “What was it you wanted ?”

Closed face, puffed up, arms crossed. He was guarded, and that was understandable. They nearly killed each others at Gronder Field.

“Honestly ? I wanted to thank you for taking care of Dimitri.”

“...Thank me ?”

“Yeah,” confirmed Claude. “Don’t worry, I get it if you can’t believe me. After all I did not rescue him when Cornelia set him up… I wish I did. But for all that’s worth, I was glad to see him alive at the Tailtean Plains. And I’m glad he’s doing better now. So I wanted to thank you for taking care of him.”

Dedue awkwardly shifted from one foot to another. “You… don’t have to thank me. This is my duty to his Highness. It is not a task that requires or eve deserves thanks.”

Claude sighed and shook his head. “Come on, Dedue. You didn’t have to go through such lengths. You don’t owe him anything and I think Dimitri agrees with me.”

“His Highness is too kind… and he doesn’t understand. Neither do you. But I’m not expecting you to understand. You don’t know what it’s like to be an outsider.”

Claude bit his tongue. _Oh, I know, Dedue. You have no idea how much I know_. “Well, enlighten me then ! I would love to understand why you believe you must pledge your entire life to Dimitri while everyone else treats you like shit. I do wonder what you did that makes you think you deserve this !”

Dedue shook his head. “That’s the thing. I don’t believe I deserve this treatment in any way. It’s… It’s Dimitri. Faerghus… no, Fodlan is a dark place. But he carries hope. With him, I believe Duscur can be reborn and grow again. He’s… I believe he is the only chance my people have to be cleared of the crime of regicide. For them and for Duscur, I will go through this ordeal. Even if I do believe I don’t deserve it.”

“He shines so bright, uh… I guess I can get that. Doesn’t mean you can’t get thanks every once in a while.” noted Claude, his smile was off, not sure if it was bitterness or the effect of the alcohol.

“I simply cannot. Too many people already question the reason why His Highness keeps me by his side. Some amongst the loyalists may even think of me as the reason he lost his mind and murdered his uncle. And if they are already talking behind his back when I show myself as his vassal then...” he looked down and Claude thought he had never seen him so vulnerable in all the time they’ve been together. “His Highness has a kind heart. I do see he considers me a friend. He gladly tell anyone I qualify as so. But if people were to see it that way he would be in great peril. He just doesn’t know… Even now that he keeps referring to himself as a beast and a monster… He doesn’t know just as cold the blood of men can run. Maybe one day… Maybe one day I will be able to call him ‘friend’. But until then, I must protect him and that means I am bound to be his vassal.”

“...That’s really sad.”

“I am aware...”

They both stood in silence in Claude’s room. Dedue felt like he should leave, try to take back those words he had never voiced to anyone before. When was the last time he even said so much at once to a single person. And even Claude didn’t seem sure to know what to do with his confession. But he did not want to do it.

“It is easy to talk to you, Claude...”

“So I’ve been told.” mumbled the Almyran. “And don’t worry. I don’t kiss and tell. Besides I would hate it if something happened to Dimitri.”

“Why do you even care ?”

Claude shrugged half-heartedly. “Well maybe I understand better than you think.”

Dedue acquiesced slowly. “Yes. Maybe you do. I think we should both get some rest. Good night, Claude.”

“Sleep well, Dedue…”

And just like that the large man turned his heels and left.

The door clicked close and Claude found himself alone in a dim room. He looked down, even the fish were asleep, floating idly at the bottom of the bay. Sole witnesses of the whole discussion and they did not even care. He smiled at them, tapping the thick glass as if they would rouse if he knocked. “Welp. Usually I’m the one who vanishes mysteriously and leaves people uncomfortable. I hate it when someone pulls one on me… He’s right though. It’s way past the hour of clever decisions.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, I'd really appreciate if you could leave comments. It would help me improve and know what you are expecting from this story.


	9. Between Those Lines Our Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secrets held within the data the runners stole from the facility makes many people nervous... some more than others.

Edelgard had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. It was barely dawn and yet Linhardt was already up, washed, and dressed, currently leaning over the machine Voiceless had been working on the day before. The machine in which had been stored all the information about what had happened to them since they had been pulled out of Fodlan. She had not expected Linhardt to be the one digging through them but it would definitely serve her goals. Maybe there would be something of interest concerning Claude or Dimitri. Lysithea should also prove interesting... She should put all the chances to her side. To win the war, to defeat Those Who Slither in the Dark. She walked closer to her general but when she came within eyesight of the screen he hid it from her by sliding to the side.

"Linhardt ? What does this mean ?"

"Hm ? I'm just moving aside. I wouldn't want you to see my screen."

She crossed her arms. "And why would you need to do that ? Why am I not allowed to see it ?"

Linhardt tilted his head to the side as if confused. "Well, of course. You're not supposed to read what's in there. There's some serious intel in there, that would be bad if you saw it."

"What ?! Then you should be showing me, aren't you on my side ?!"

He shook his head. "No. Everyone's information is stocked in here. None of us should have access to it."

"Excuse me ? Aren't you reading it this instant ?! How come you get a free pass ?" she retorted, feeling her cheeks redden in frustration.

"Because he swore not to give away any intel he could stumble on to any of you." intervened Voiceless from the kitchen door. The elf was still in sleeping clothes and holding two cups of what seemed to be coffee. She walked to Linhardt's side and handed him a cup, subtly putting herself between him and Edelgard. "Is that a problem to you ?"

"Yes, it is ! I want to know what has been done to me during my captivity."

"You'll be given your file and every bit concerning you. Nothing else." replied the hacker taking a sip of her cup without moving from her spot.

Edelgard gritted her teeth. No doubt she could overpower the elf and steal the data from Linhardt. But she would not be able to make the machine function on her own and the rest of the mercenaries would fall on her sooner or later. Hubert would not be able to steal them either without his magic. However she might attempt to steal those files once they were distributed.

She stood her ground, puffing up in front of the annoyingly relaxed elf. "I want my file the second you have it."

"You get your file at the same time everyone else gets it." nailed Voiceless, not taking the intimidation attempt.

She scoffed and turned her heels to get her breakfast. She needed to talk to Hubert. Convincing Linhardt to slip her intel would be just as difficult as trying to catch steam with a strainer. She hated it but she should have expected him to pull out something like this on her. Hubert should still be able to help her get a sneak peek at those files one way or another. Voiceless had mentioned that their captors had been weeding out those without crests so maybe she wouldn't get much from those not bearing one. But who knew what secrets would be laying in those papers. She sat as far away as possible from the two of them and the second she was over she made a beeline for Hubert's room and knocked.

"Yes, come in, your Majesty."

Hubert was sitting at his desk, surrounded by books studying the operation of magic and dimensional portals. Edelgard doubted he had gotten any sleep or even realised that the sun had risen.

"Hubert, you look terrible. Have you gotten some sleep since I last saw you for dinner ?"

He looked down at the mess on his desk then back at her. "No. Do you require my help ?"

She sighed and sat on the small couch. "Your magic has not returned yet, has it ?"

He shook his head, looking back at his work. "No. I'm trying to figure out some safe way for me to acquire magical abilities in this realm but the task seems tedious."

She hummed. Maybe it was not the right time to bother him with the files... It would come later. "Have you found anything ?"

"Well, here it appears that access to magical powers are rather limited. Like the acquisition of a Crest. As a matter of facts the expression of magic has a lot more in common with the expression of a Crest than how we know magic back in Fodlan. Magic is not about the knowledge and mastery of spells. To the people gifted with it, it materialise in a very personal way. No magic is the same. People who are born with magic are called 'Soul-touched'. It concerns one out of ten people but even less survive the first burst a magic so they make a very small portion of the general population. As a matter of fact if a child is diagnosed to be soul-touched the parents often ask for the inhibition of their magic through some sort of seal. It doesn't appear that one can become Soul-touched with some sort of intervention. Of course scientists and mages have tried but it doesn't seem to be working. It would seem it would be the same sort of problematic as gifting a person with two Crests... And not only have I not found any records concerning such attempts but with all due respect I do not believe I would survive an intervention similar to the ones you've been through, your Majesty."

Edelgard tensed at the mention of her worst memories but kept her head high. "In all honesty I would rather you did not attempt such risky procedure for uncertain results, doubly so when you will certainly recover your own magic back in Fodlan."

"Yes, my thoughts exactly," acquiesced the Dark Bishop. "There is another way but... It is about as uncertain as attempting to force magic into a non-touched individual."

"Oh ? And what would that be ?"

"Well, it would be to make a pact with a magical entity. Not just a Soul-touched person. Either a 'Divinity' of sorts or a Feyfolken... Like Dusty for example. In that case the entity will lend their own magic to be used depending on the terms of a contract."

Edelgard winced at the mention of the odd ball of a healer. In the short time they had spent with the pooka they had learnt of their extreme knowledge in the domain of medicine and many other scientific field but also their prone tendency to pull pranks, speak in riddles, and make fruits rot if they were left unattended in their vicinity for too long. Edelgard didn't recall them really showing much of their magical prowess though Hubert had told her the way the small being had stood their ground, unflinching, in the face of the eldritch entity trapped in her own chest. "That does seem like a very uncertain method indeed. And what would such a contract demand ?"

Hubert leaned on his elbows with a long exhausted sigh. "Well, it really depends on who the parties are. Sometimes the entity will lend their magic for a specific length of time at the condition that a common goal is achieved somehow. Sometimes they will lend their magic but only to be used for specific purposes. Other times the making of such a pact is very close to actual indentured slavery."

"I see... Well if Dusty is the one you intend to bind yourself to I doubt they would go for the third option. However..."

"They do not trust us and would be extremely reluctant to lend us any sort of power we could use against Dimitri or Claude." completed the Emperor's right hand.

She nodded. "Neither do I believe they would point us in the right direction. They would probably get us even more lost than before."

"Yes... But you did not come here to discuss the functionalities of this realm's magic, did you ?"

"Yes, you're right. There was some other pressing matters I needed your insight about."

He turned his chair to face his leader and leaned forward conspicuously. "I'm all ears, your Majesty."

"Well, you do remember those files Voiceless mentioned last evening ?"

Hubert nodded. How could he forget ? "Do you desire me to get a hold of them ?"

Edelgard smiled. "You can just read my mind, can't you ? Well indeed. I very much want us to acquire them. Problem is, they appear to be stocked on this machine she always keeps with her. Besides it is probably protected with a lock or ward of some sort."

Hubert approved. Voiceless appeared to be a clever and slightly paranoid individual, her attitude toward their group being in general quite avoidant if you put aside her liking of flirting with Dorothea and Petra... Maybe he could attempt to-

"But we could have an opening shortly." said the Empress, cutting his thoughts short.

"Oh ? And what would it be ?"

"Well, it appears we all have individual files. And Voiceless did say she would distribute us our respective files. Which means-"

"We won't have to steal them from her. But steal each separate file from the people they belong to."

"Exactly ! Do you think such a feat would be doable ?"

Hubert took a moment to ponder the question. Without his magic the task would prove a lot more tedious but if he had the support of the rest of the Black Eagles then... "I do not think I will be able to get a hand on Claude's to be very fair. I believe he would destroy his file the second he has the important details memorised. I suspect his file was one of those you particularly had your eyes on but in my current state I do not believe I would be able to succeed. I might attempt something but he will probably know the file has been tampered with. Dimitri however. He seems so flippant with his own wellbeing he might not even take his file to start with. The real obstacle would be his Duscuri guard dog. I don't believe he would let such valuable intel go unwatched but I doubt he might be as clever as Claude when it comes to dissimulation. Was there anyone else you were interested in ?"

She looked down a moment, weighting her words. "Yes... Lysithea. I wish-... No. I _need_ to see what lays in her file."

"I see. The two of you appear to have a lot in common... Very well. I will ensure you will know everything that is contained within those papers."

"Yes, thank you, Hubert." She considered thanking him for not asking any questions but he already knew way enough about her nightmare to guess what plagued her mind in this instant. She rose to her feet. "I shall take my leave. Now I order you to take some rest. I need you fresh and sharp for the moment those files get released. And I won't take a no."

He bowed from his chair. "Very well, Lady Edelgard. Do feel free to rouse me if you get any updates on those files. Time will be the essence."

She nodded and turned her heels, leaving him once again alone in his room with nothing but silence and the faint lingering of her scent.

He looked back at his papers. So much left to do before he could be of use again but he had his orders. He stood and walked to the bathroom for a well deserved shower before bed. He would be rested by noon.

_____________

Edelgard has been waiting feverishly for the files to be delivered. It was already mid afternoon and the upper deck was more lively than it had been in the last few days. She felt oddly uncomfortable in the living room, she tended to avoid it but the circumstances forced her to come out of the secure space of her room. And she was not the only one apparently. If Claude's presence on the upper deck wasn't unusual, once more surrounded by various books both educative and entertainment fiction, some people currently occupying the room had shown to be as reclusive as the Fire Emperor so far. Like Dedue who had exceptionally left his liege's side to keep guard on the progress of the young Imperial Bishop. Dimitri was nowhere to be sighted though. Edelgard suspected that whatever the reason that had convinced the Prince of Faerghus to first join them for the obligatory shared meals did not apply to their endless hours of free time.

Linhardt's open enthusiasm in the morning at the discovery of new knowledge and information had slowly died out through the day as more and more people lurked nearby and interrupted his precious moments of discovery and learning with what he called 'misplaced anxiety'. _You probably already know about most of what is in the file. Why do you bother me so when I need focus and tranquillity ? If you keep bugging me you'll just have your files later so leave me alone or I take a nap here and now._ The utterly comedic threat of unprompted napping was still enough to tamper everyone's intrusiveness and desire to peek over the bishop's shoulder for a sneak peek. Not that they would learn much from it anyway. According to Voiceless the very reason they needed Linhardt for this task was that a lot of the terms and techniques used did not exist in Fodlan and needed translating... That and the fact that their captors did not know of any of their names and simply numbered them so Linhardt had to connect the series of numbers to the people in this room and tossing aside the files of those who had not survived their time in the labs.

The thought made Edelgard grit her teeth in rage. Once more the thirst for the acquisition of Crests had claimed more lives. More reason to promptly return to Fodlan and finish this foolish war so she could purge and reform this crooked world.

Finally Linhardt sighed loudly and shut the laptop close, turning to his elven bodyguard. "I'm finished, Voiceless. May I take a nap now ?"

The runner smiled and gave him a friendly rub in the back. "Sure thing, marmot-boy. Go hibernate, I'll slide yours under your door."

He rose to his feet and shook his head. "Thanks but that's unnecessary. I've memorised it. Just let me sleep until dinner."

Voiceless grinned back at him throwing him some 'that's my boy' as Linhardt left yawning and dragging his feet. Edelgard immediately jumped to her feet and dashed to the elf with Hubert on her heels.

"It is done, yes ? I want to consult my file now."

The elf's long ears flopped down with her shoulders. "Wow. Hold your horses, Princess. I need to print them first. Just give me a sec, will ya ? I get that it's super stressing but jumping everyone like that is not going to make things happen faster."

Hubert's nose scrounged up, personally insulted by the lack of respect shown to his mistress. "Lady Edelgard is an Empress, not a Princess. You shall address her properly."

Voiceless just sat where Linhardt had been and shrugged stiffly. "Well, she's not an Empress here so. Anyway, I'm starting the printing. Lots of papers to run through so it will take a few mins. Then I need to separate all of them. You get some tea or something to chill until it's done, I'll be back when I got everything." she retorted dryly, typing a few commands in the console.

Hubert winced at the mention of tea and the elf's utter lack of respect but Edelgard spoke before he could. "Very well. We'll be waiting here for your return."

The elf gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement, finished typing and left taking the machine under her arm.

Edelgard sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in visible frustration. Hubert knew the gesture all too well. She tended to make it too often in her dealings with Lord Arundel. Irritation when confronted to resistance. He leaned closer to her with touching her and whispered. "Would you like me to care for her, Lady Edelgard ?"

"No, Hubert. We still need her. I just need to _be patient and wait_." said the Emperor with a strained voice. Sttuborness when opposed to her always got her out of her mind.

Thankfully the elf was true to her word and promptly returned to the upper deck. Edelgard got up, letting out an angry hiss Voiceless royally ignored her to hand his file to Dedue. She kept pretending not to see her while she briefly chatted the tall man about whether or not she should give him Dimitri's file as well.

"If he wants his file he can come pick it up."

"I don't think he'd be willing to come out of his room at the moment," noted the Duscuri briefly glancing at Edelgard with ice cold eyes. "However as his vassal I would be tasked with retrieving such a document and protecting it."

The elf shook her head. "I have no idea what a 'vassal' is. Neither do I see why it gives you the right to pick his file."

The large man shook briefly at Voiceless admitted ignorance of Fodlan's cast system before he remembered that he was no different when Dimitri first took him under his wing. "It's... To make it simple, I am his servant. I am to do everything his Highness won't do."

Voiceless frowned as long ears folded backwards. "He's a big boy. He can take a few steps and carry a bunch of paper."

Dedue caught her arm before she could turn her heels. "Please. I merely wish to care for him. Allow me to help him."

The elf scanned his face, her obsidian eye shining with such a burning intensity Edelgard almost expected the tall man to start smoking. Once she was done glaring at him she rolled her eyes and held up the file. "You're lucky you got these puppy eyes. Now bugger off because I change my mind."

The Duscuri bowed with gratitude and trotted back to the lower deck with both files held religiously between his hands.

Edelgard planted herself in front of the elf, backed by Hubert who glared the runner down. Voiceless just wordlessly pulled out both their files and left when the Emperor snatched them from her grasp. The Imperial duo watched her distribute the papers around, dropping Claude's on his lap, handing Petra hers with a wink and a smile, promptly running away when Sylvain tried to do the same when she gave him his.

"Well. We have to give those a read. Let's go to my room." finally said Edelgard. She didn't feel like waiting around for everyone to get their files to discover the secrets laying in hers.

Hubert merely nodded, following his Emperor's shadow like the obedient servant he was. Edelgard walked with her head high, eyes sharp as steel, but the dark mage could see the the tension from her shoulders growing as if the file she held kept increasing in weight. Hubert's file had no such effect.

Finally she slid into her room, closing the door shut behind her second in command and gesturing at him to sit somewhere. The Count obeyed, opting for the soft cushions of the small couch while Edelgard chose to settle down at her desk. Her hand trembled as she turned the first page. In small regular letters her whole life was described before her. Cold and uncaring, like some report description about some exotic animal described in the Fodlan encyclopedia. Her weight, height, detailed description of every inch of her skin, the contains of her blood, structure of her bones, including a blank body with various annotations and the pattern of her scars. Despite Linhardt's translation she struggled to understand half of the data laying in those lines. She ended up glossing over it to end on a smaller section named 'abstract'.

_The subject is female, marked though the results we have obtained give us room for various speculations. She has various indicators of juvenile surgery which might lead us to believe that she might be one of those we have interest in. The other similar individual is another white-haired female ID 01710. She seems to have sustained numerous violent traumatisms, most of them healed through the use of magic. Her blood has shown great reactivity to magic like those of the other marked subjects. Major Pathologies detected : partial loss of mobility in the right knee due to bone outgrowth following a recent fracture, tumoral growth over the bottom left lobe of the lungs with metastatic bodies planting into the heart, bone structure shows a long episode of important undernutrition (anorexia?), small nerve damage around the areas of injuries, signs of attempted suicide._

_Verdict : Individual displays impressive muscular weight, possible educated or wealthy background, combative abilities, possible mental illness. However individual is valuable, to be maintained under control through extensive use of sedatives._

She closed the file with a shuddering sigh, fighting with all of her might to stop her eyes from watering. The tumour must have been her crest of flames. Good thing the healer pulled this horror out of her system. But all the reminders of the darkest hours of her past had left her considerably more fragile than she had anticipated. She looked up, unsurprised to see that Hubert was already done with his own much slimmer file and simply looked at her in respectful silence. Like a good shadow, always here, watching over her, comforting in its own loyal way.

She chuckled darkly. "Have I kept you waiting, Hubert ?"

"Not at all, your Majesty. Was there anything of interest in your file ?" asked the Count politely avoiding to look at her glistening eyes.

"Well... Most things I already knew. What about yours ?"

"About the same," replied Hubert flipping the pages of his file with disdain. "I hardly think these will be to any use to the people they are about. What shall we do next ?"

Edelgard hummed. Dedue already had Dimitri's file, no way he would even agree to talk to them. She remembered how miserable Ferdinand was after his attempt at diplomacy on their first day here. No doubt the Fortress Knight would be even less patient with people he considered responsible for his Lord's distress. Hubert wouldn't be either. Claude had received his file right after them which meant by now he had probably had it memorised and destroyed. Which left...

"We need to see Lysithea's file. I could try to talk to her while you rummage through it. Don't take it, just note the most important parts. She's clever, if anything is missing she'll know. Hopefully she didn't destroy it either."

"Shall we destroy ours as well, your Majesty ?" suggested the Dark Bishop with a darker grin.

"... Not yet, Hubert. You are free to destroy yours but I wish to read the full extend of mine to fully understand just how much these people know."

He hummed, clearly displeased the answer but not countering it. He never did in front of her. She did knew he would do it once she had turned her back.

"Regardless. I will try to talk to Lysithea. As I do so sneak into her room and find the file. She's probably in her room reading those papers right now. I'll ask her to talk to me outside so you can get in. Any other suggestions ?"

Hubert smiled with cold satisfaction. "None, your Majesty. I shall not disappoint."

She nodded and stood to her feet, choosing to secure her own file hidden under her thick jacket. Hubert would easily find it if she left it behind and no place was more secure from him than herself.

_____________

As it turned out chatting up someone you wanted something from was far from easy. Edelgard envied Hilda's laid back and uncaring attitude when it came to this. Right now Edelgard very much felt like a wolf in the sheep's pen whose disguise was barely holding together. She was fidgety, unable to sit properly, and despite her small stature she took too much space to appear non-threatening. She did not know how to look inviting, she did not know how to intrigue people into her orbit, she did not know how to make herself look as someone who needed another to get what she needed. Whatever she needed, she took. Simple, quick, efficient. Much less complicated than looking weak and helpless enough to warrant any sort of condescending attention.

Lysithea had not been paying attention to her at all. Enthralled in some book Edelgard had found her reading when she came to the upper deck looking for the young woman. The Emperor had tried to passively get her attention by sitting and reading next to her but she had not counted on Lysithea enjoying companionable silence when caught in books. So now she was pretending to be interested in the book she had grabbed, some compilation of short scary stories with a worrying amount of tentacled monsters, while the younger girl barely acknowledged her presence. She had to find a way to break the ice.

"Edelgard, I'm going to get a drink. Would you like me to bring you something ?"

"Uh ?" the Emperor looked up to see Lysithea had stood up and looked down to her. "Oh, yes please. I would love some tea if you don't mind."

"Well... Haven't found any, I asked Dusty to buy some, they told me they would get some in the end of the week. But I have found some drink in here that helps me focus. It's very sweet ! It tastes a bit weird at first but you seem like you need a little hand."

Edelgard laughed. "Does it shows that much ?"

Lysithea gave her an amused smile. "You've been reading the same page for a good fifteen minutes. I'll bring you the drink."

She watched her leave hoping no one would notice how her ears had reddened, she tried to hide them behind her long locks. Lysithea came back with two small bottles of brightly coloured liquid branded 'CRAZY HORSE - ENERGY EXTREME' in bright letters.

"Here ! Have this one. You'll read through your book in twenty minutes ! Just don't drink those in the evening."

"Thank you... What kind of... Potion is this ?"

"It's not a potion ! It's some sort of syrup, I think ? Dusty told me the drink was not magical at all. It just tastes weird and sweet."

Sweet, uh? Edelgard could get behind that. She unscrewed the lid, a little worried about the small bubbles hissing as she did and took a good swing of the drink.

It sure was sweet. She never thought 'too sweet' would be a thing she'd worry about but the excessive amount of sugar and bubbles almost had her choke.

"you weren't joking about the weird and sweet part." coughed Edelgard eyeing the rest of her drink.

Lysithea shrugged, taking long sips of hers, apparently unbothered by the taste or buzz. "It takes some getting used to but it's not so bad after a while. Plus it does help a lot to focus."

The Emperor winced at the idea of tolerating something bad just for the sake of it but took another swing. This time swallowing faster as to not let the bubbles tickle her and the taste did not seem so bad.

They both drunk for silence a couple of moments before Edelgard finally set her bottle down and dared turn to the younger woman. "Lysithea, I... I was hoping to have a word with you."

The white-haired girl nodded turning to face her. "I suspected so. I... Suppose this concerns those files they've given us."

She looked down. So obvious, uh? "Yes. I believe you understand my worry regarding them."

Lysithea acquiesced solemnly. They both shared the same wound, the same scar, the same morbid darkness they needed to dive in.

"I... Suppose you'd like to know what I have learned in those papers. But I believe you won't learn any more than what you have learnt in your own. I believe you understand just how personal those are. And even if I won't lie about my own curiosity... I've seen who were your allies in Gronder Field. And I... I don't understand. Tell me. With all the things they did to us, why are you working for them ?"

"I'm not working for them," replied Edelgard, watching her tone as to not be overheard by any eavesdropper. "It is a necessity. One I despise on top of that. The Church is just too powerful to fight as of now, I need my uncle's support and his armies to fight them."

Lysithea shook her head. "But why fight the Church to start with ? They were not those to torture us !"

"But they enabled it !" she hissed. "They enabled it by forcing the superiority of Crest users on society, by making everyone under their rule to believe Crests were the only signs of divine power and not a man-made creation. To enslave us all and control us by annihilating every nonbeliever and weakening us through fractures of the power of the people of Fodlan. Every day that passes in their crooked system steals more lives than this war ever will."

"I cannot agree on those numbers you claim... I am well aware of how many the hunt for Crests have claimed... But your war is not fighting the ones responsible for it, you can't claim this when working for the worst of their examples."

"Only for a time ! The second the Church has been dealt with we will get rid of them ! Please, believe me... I would not do this if I had any other choice."

Lysithea's shoulders slumped, exhaustion in her eyes. "I am still not certain that your goals justify to spare them even if only for a time... However I do believe that you will take them down once their use has passed. I merely have one more question."

"Yes... Anything."

"Why not ally yourself with Claude and Dimitri. About Claude I can say for certain he despises the church's teachings... Or any sort of 'bling faith into a supreme power' as he says himself. Neither does he has any sort of liking for the Crest system. And I certainly cannot speak for Dimitri now but before this war he seemed quite fond of you. If you had explained your situation... Our situation to him, he probably would have jumped head first to help us."

She shook her head. "I would not be so sure. The Kingdom has a long history of being Fodlan's most devout believers and I know for a fact that Dimitri has spent many of our nights at the Academy praying and investigating my uncle. His show of fondness must have brood from some speculation that I must have been his victim or maybe some attempt at gaining my trust in hopes to get closer to him probably."

Lysithea pinched her lips, clearly debating in her head if Dimitri truly was capable of such cunning deception like Edelgard had. But she would reach the same conclusion she had. It was the only one that made any sense.

"Now, as for Claude... He is always hiding something, always hard to read. His dislike in blindly following orders made him a wild card in my eyes. He could have turned against the Church just like he could have turned against me shall he not approve of my methods. And seeing how this war has turned with him claiming the church's support and how he openly and vehemently criticises my 'wrongdoings', well... Now I am even more certain he would not have accepted my demands."

Lysithea looked down at her book, her eyes lost in the inescapable fatality of their past. All pieces cornered into the worst possible Tragedy and loss.

"I see. In that case. " Lysithea closed her book firmly and Edelgard lowered her head in defeat.

She had every right to walk on her. She had stained her hands with blood to cut her path to freedom. The young mage must be disgusted by her and her lack of trying. She stood as the Emperor remained seated.

"Here."

Edelgard looked up to see the small stack of paper held right in front of her nose.

"You can have it. Just... Don't show it to anyone else, yes?"

The older woman smiled and acquiesced. "Thank you, I swear I won't disappoint you." 

She took it and ran off to her room, hoping Hubert she could catch Hubert and make sure he had not made a mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Maple for helping me with the writing of Edelgard for this chapter and being very patient with me <3
> 
> Please do give me your opinion on this story, it would help me a lot to know in which direction you'd like to see this going.

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to interact with this fic, throw your HCs, how you think things will go later, your ships, whatever goes through your mind, I just love to interact with my readers and I would really like to hear about you, guys


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